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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

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Stark Spangled Banner

Ch 4. Low Flying Stationery

Summary: Steve realises that the only way out of the seeming hole he’s dug himself into is to come clean about his feelings to Katie, only that’s easier said than done.

Pairing: Steve Rogers X OFC Katie Stark

Warnings: Language! Angst and a pair of total dumbasses in love… A/N: Once again, a huge thank you to @angrybirdcr for her lovely little edit.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 3

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

“I went under, the world was at war, I wake up and they say we won. They didn’t say what we lost.”

“Yeah, well we’ve made some mistakes along the way. Some very recently…”

Steve woke up with a start, taking a deep breath as he blinked, coming out of his sleep addled haze. It didn’t take a genius to work out why his mind had taken him back to that particular moment in time, and it wasn’t wasted on him either that this time he was the one who had made the big assed mistake the night before…

Glancing at his clock, he decided that 5:00 am wasn’t too early, so he changed and headed out for a run, pounding his frustration out on the wet ground beneath his feet. He was so annoyed at himself for simply letting Katie walk out with no protest at all. He should have stopped her, gone after her, he realised that now.

It was official, he was the world’s biggest moron.

He knew now that the only way to salvage anything from this mess was to be honest, regardless of how she felt or didn’t feel as the case may be. So, as he thundered round past the Lincoln Memorial for the fourth time, he started to plan out exactly what he was going to say. By the time he got home an hour and a half later, and climbed into a scalding hot shower, he was feeling slightly more positive.

He just hoped she’d hear him out.

***** After a night of tossing and turning, alternating between being angry at herself and pissed at Steve, Katie had also been up at a ridiculous time, but unlike Steve she had curled up on her sofa with a film, counting the minutes down until it was an acceptable time to call her brother.

“Seven thirty AM?” Tony drawled as he answered. “You wet the bed?”

“Fuck off” She shot back “No, just had a shitty end to yesterday and thought I’d call to hear a friendly voice. Beginning to wonder why I bothered.”

“Bad day?” Tony’s voice softened “Ok Kiddo, I’m all ears.”

“Nah don’t wanna talk about it.” Katie said, and she didn’t. There was NO WAY she was telling Tony about Steve and whatever the hell nearly went down. That was a whole shit storm she didn’t want landing at Steve’s feet. “So what’s new with you?”

“Nothing much.” Tony sniffed.

“How’s things with you and Pepper? Still behaving?”

“I’m insulted you even asked me that.”

“I know you too well.” She chuckled.

“Well, if you really wanna know they’re going great. I’m thinking of taking her out to the Island in a couple of weeks. A dirty week away…”

“Ok too much information” she grimaced as Tony’s chuckle hit her ears “You’re nasty”

“I’m in love!” He said in a sing-song voice, making Katie roll her eyes.

“I never thought I’d see the day where you love someone more than yourself.”.

“What is this, Kiddo? Insult Tony day?” He scoffed making her laugh. “I love lots of things more than myself.”

“Yeah, like what?”

“You, Pepper…” the line was silent for a few seconds before he finished “Nope, that’s it.”

Katie laughed “I’m honoured.”

“So you should be, it’s a very hard list to make.”

They talked for another half an hour about all sorts of crap, Katie simply happy to hear her brother’s voice as it had been weeks since she’s seen him, far too long in her opinion. Eventually they both had to get ready for work so after breakfast and a shower she felt a little better although her stomach was still flipping slightly at the thought of seeing Steve. He’d messaged her a few times last night but she’d completely ignored him, and was feeling a little shitty about it now, if she was honest.

But, there was nothing she could do except apologise and hopefully they could move on and in time forget it.

When she walked into the Tactical Ops Office, Clint and Natasha were already in there, eating a pastry each, both with a coffee in hand and she was touched, as always, to see one waiting on her desk for her. But not touched enough to let Barton get away with using her desk as a foot rest.

“Get your feet down…” Katie slapped at his legs.

“Rude,” he muttered, removing them and placing his feet on the floor. “I bought you coffee.”

“Which is both appreciated and needed.” she pecked him on the cheek. “Thanks Hawkeye”

“You look like you aint slept all night.” Nat eyed Katie shrewdly as she shrugged off her coat “Who is he?”

“I should be so lucky” Katie mumbled dropping into her chair. She didn’t tell them that the reason she hadn’t slept all night was thanks to a certain blue eyed super soldier, but not because he was in bed with her, more so because he wasn’t.

“Better take a nap this afternoon then.” Clint pointed at her. “Want you on good form for the party.”

“What party?” Katie frowned.

“Rumlow’s 40th…”

She groaned. “That’s tonight?”

“Yeah.” Clint nodded, before he let out a snort as he looked over his shoulder at Nat “Now this is gonna be interesting.”

“What?” Katie frowned

“He’s referring to the fact I’ve been planning an outfit for a few days…” Nat yawned, examining her nails.

“Yeah and seeing you try and figure one out in a few hours, Nova, is gonna be amazing…”

“Not like I’m short of options,” Katie shrugged “I mean half the shit in my closet hasn’t seen the light of day in years.”

“You can always gift it to me.” Natasha quipped back

“Speaking of gifts, has anyone done a collection for dearest Brock?” Clint looked around. “I mean it is his 40th party after all, we should probably get him something…”

“Like what?” Nat asked.

“I dunno. What’s he into?” Clint pondered.

“I know what he’d like to get into.” Nat responded with a smirk. “Nova’s pants…”

At that Clint let out a bark of a laugh just as Steve walked through the door, expertly catching the pencil that Katie threw at the Archer.

“Beware low flying stationery.” Steve quipped as casually as he could, tossing the item onto the desk in front of Clint who leaned back in his chair, putting his feet back on the surface. Steve locked eyes with Katie for a second and he saw her take a deep, steadying breath before she looked over at Clint as he responded to Steve’s joke.

“It wasn’t flying, it was thrown.” he smirked. “Just Stark here getting a little upset about Nat’s joke.”

“I wasn’t upset, it was just a shit joke.” Katie rolled her eyes

“But it’s true, that’s what’s so funny!” Clint snorted “Admit it, you know he’s after a bit…”

“Can we just change the subject, please?” Katie groaned, turning to the keyboard on her desk. She could feel Steve’s eyes burning into her back as she tried to concentrate on the screen, ignoring him.

“You coming tonight Cap?” Clint asked

“Rumlow’s 40th?” Steve asked and Clint nodded

“Did everyone remember except me?” Katie looked round.

“Pretty much.” Nat nodded

Katie scowled.

“You’re a proper little ray of sunlight today.” Clint snorted at the expression on her face.

“I told you I’m tired.”

“Try going to bed and sleeping.” Nat quipped and this time it was a highlighter pen that flew across the room.

“Carry on and it will be a stapler.” Katie frowned. “I was alone, thank you. Unless you count my pillow.”

Steve looked down at his feet

“Was the pillow good?” Clint asked, and she glared at him, picking up the stapler as he laughed, holding his hands up.

“Anyway, Romanoff…” Steve deftly changed the subject as Katie slammed the stapler back down. “You ready for ops drill or…”

Nat groaned and pushed her chair back across the floor with a scrape. “Slave driver…catch you later Stark”

“Yeah see ya…” Katie didn’t bother turning round.

“I’m due on the range in 10 with the new recruits so…” Clint stood up and followed Nat before he stopped and turned back, glancing over his shoulder again before he spoke.

“Listen, don’t tell Widow I asked this but what’s the dress code for tonight? I better start sorting out what I’m wearing whilst I get chance…”

Katie stopped before she turned slowly in her seat and smirked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

“You hypocrite! It’s smart casual and if you don’t want me to tell Nat, it’ll cost you a beer”

“A beer for your silence… why haven’t we done this trade before?”

“Fuck off!” she flicked him the finger as he disappeared out of the office leaving Steve and her alone.

“Hey.” He spoke gently, testing the water “You alright?”

“Yeah” she nodded, looking up at him and he smiled, that fucking smile again and she cleared her throat. “Honestly I’m just tired.”

“You ran out on me.” he pointed out, studying her face.

“You didn’t exactly stop me Steve.” she shot back and he sighed.

“I know.” he swallowed “But you could have messaged me back.”

“Sorry, I was just…” Katie ran her hand over her face. “Actually, I don’t know what I was to be honest.”

There was a pause, a little awkward silence filling the room before Steve took a deep breath.

“Listen.” he began, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “About last night, what…well, what nearly happened. I err, I wanted to say that I-”

“It’s fine.” Katie cut him off quickly. “I get it, it was an emotional day and there was a lot for you to process and deal with. I mean, I was all over the place so I expect you were too. Guess we just…”

She trailed off and something inside Steve died a little. She’d felt sorry for him, that was the only reason they’d shared that moment. He struggled to keep his face straight as he shrugged, looking down at his hands, all thoughts of his planned speech flying out of his head.

“We’re okay, right?” Katie looked at him, and he glanced up, smile fixed on his face.

“Sure” he nodded, hopping off the desk. “Listen, I need to…” he pointed to the door.

“Yeah, course. I have a tonne of stuff to do anyway. I wanna get home in time for a nap”

He chuckled. “So I’ll err, see you tonight?” he asked.

“Yeah, see you there.”

Katie watched him leave and as soon as he was clear of the room Katie took a shaky breath trying to stem the tears that were threatening once more to pour down her cheeks.

******

A wave of sound, both music and the noise of chatter hit Steve’s ears the minute he opened the door. He spotted Nat and Clint leaned against the bar and after saying hi to Rumlow and anyone else who greeted him he made his way over to the other two avengers and smiled.

“Hey Cap” Clint said, clapping him on his shoulder. “Beer?”

“Thanks Barton.”

Clint ordered his drink as Steve glanced around the room, looking for that familiar shock of brunette.

“She’s not here yet.” Nat drawled and he looked at her.

“Right.” He nodded simply, accepting the beer.

“Nice shirt” Clint grinned and Steve glanced down.

“Very modern.” Nat said,

“Romanoff,” Steve rolled his eyes. “You’re a pain in my ass…”

“She’s a pain in everyone’s ass.” Clint shrugged and Nat simply quirked an eyebrow at him as Steve gave a small chuckle, taking a slug of his beer.

“It’s one of my more endearing qualities.” she quipped.

Clint opened his mouth to say something but stopped as his eyes fell on someone and he smiled. Steve turned slightly to follow his gaze to see Katie making her way over towards them and boy, he had to stop his mouth falling open because she looked amazing. Tight black jeans, patent red heels and a sleeveless red top that plunged down her cleavage and tightened in to her waist before flaring out slightly. Her make up looked different, it was still light but she’d done something to her eye lids as they shimmered with a gold colour that made her eyes stand out even more.

Clint dropped a kiss to her cheek when she reached his side and Steve got a sudden hit of her perfume, the underlying floral tones that he associated with her, and he took a deep breath.

“About time…” Clint smiled at Katie. “We thought you had got lost.”

“Yeah, sorry I needed a nap.” she shrugged, nodding to Natasha and Steve.

“You want a drink?” Clint turned back to the bar waving at the tender.

“Yeah, I’ll have a gin thanks.”

“I like this.” Nat mused, her hand toying with the hem of her top. “New?”

“No, I dug it out from the doldrums of my closet.” she smiled, thanking Clint for the drink as he handed it to her. “I told you, I forget what’s in there sometimes.”

“Must be hard being so rich you can afford that many clothes you forget what you have.” Nat smirked, and Katie flipped her off drawing a snort from the red head.

“Table over there.” Clint spoke, nodding over to the right. “Shall we?”

The four of them made their way over and settled into a comfortable conversation as normal, but both Katie and Steve were ridiculously aware of one another. The smells of cologne and perfume, the feel of his shirt clad arm as it brushed against hers when he moved, her laugh which rang out over the table…

It was torture for them both.

After four rounds of drinks however, Katie had started to relax a little, dare she even say enjoy herself, so it was bound to be a matter of time before something else went wrong.

And it did, in spectacular fashion.

“Who’s round is it?” Clint announced “I’m ready for some shots…”

“Mine, I think.” Katie glanced round for one of the guys who was providing table service, when someone talking to Rumlow caught her attention. Tall, short dark hair, dark denim jeans and a white shirt. To most of the people in the room, the back of that man could have been anyone. But to Katie, well, she knew instantly who it was.

And her good mood sank as fast as it had been rising.

“Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me.” She mumbled. Steve, who had felt her tense next to him, looked down at her as Natasha frowned.

“What?”

“Ward’s here…”

Clint’s hand slipped and he almost sent the remainder of his beer flying as he scanned the room, his eyes narrowing.

“Ward as in, your ex Ward?” Steve asked, feeling the heat rise in his neck. She nodded and across the table Clint started grinding his teeth in a combination of anger and irritation.

Katie watched the back of her ex’s head, and then he turned to look around the room and their eyes locked. His mouth fell open slightly before he composed himself, and turned back to talk to Rumlow, running his hand through his hair, the way he always did when he was trying to act cool.

Katie snorted and turned back to the table.

“Want me to go punch him?” Clint leaned over towards her. “Because I’d really like to.”

Steve found himself thinking that was a great idea but Katie shook her head.

“Just ignore him. I am.”

*****

After three further gin and tonics and two tequilas had worked their way through her system Katie excused herself and headed out to the bathroom. Once she was gone, Clint shook his head.

“I cannot believe that fucking prick showed up.” He growled, waiving the waiter over. “Damned it I hate him.”

“I gathered.” Steve smirked as Clint ordered another round of drinks.

“I mean…what the fuck…why is he even here?” the archer continued to rant and Nat gently laid a hand on hi arm.

“Clint, don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?” She soothed.

“You didn’t see her Nat, that night when she caught him…she was a mess.”

“So was his car.” Natasha grinned and Clint snorted.

“His car?” Steve asked.

“Yeah…” Clint gave a small laugh. “She smashed up the body work…and I left four arrows in his tyres.”

Steve felt a surge of affection the archer as he took a deep breath, looking around. There was no sign of Katie, or Ward. Something seemed a little off, like things weren’t quite right…

“I’m gonna go check if she’s okay” he stood up, missing the glance that Natasha and Clint shared.

As it happens, Katie wasn’t ok. Nothing about walking out of the bathroom and bumping, literally, into your cheating fucker ex was ever going to be ok.

“Hi K.” Ward said, as his hands gently grabbed round her arms steadying her, his familiar smell washed over her senses. She pulled back immediately, shaking off his grip.

“Don’t call me that.”

He sighed “C’mon…”

“What do you want, Grant?”

“Hey, you bumped into me.” He chuckled. “You look amazing by the way.”

She snorted, and looked away.

“Look, I just wanted to say, well, I hate how we left things, you know? And I…”

“How we left thigs?” Katie’s eyes locked back onto his as she let out a sarcastic laugh. “The only thing I left was your apartment after finding you in bed with some blond bimbo.”

“The biggest mistake of my life.” Grant sighed, “I honestly mean that…”

“Is this the part where you say sorry for cheating on me and beg for my forgiveness?” Katie watched as the dark brown eyes that she had once found irresistible bore into hers and she felt the anger simmering again. She’d worked so long to get this man out of her system, but here he was, daring to try and smarm her into accepting an apology. The sheer audacity of it was making her want to scream.

“I am sorry. I genuinely am…”

“You’re sorry you got caught. There’s a difference.”

“No, that’s not it.” Grant shook his head. “There hasn’t been a single day where I haven’t thought about you and how I fucked up.”

He ran his hand through his hair and Katie shook her head.

“Let’s be honest, she wasn’t the first was she?” She looked up at him. Grant dropped his head and that was all the confirmation she needed. “Our relationship, it was a car crash.”

“I loved you.”

“Seriously? You’re trying that one?” She looked at him, and then burst out laughing. “Oh Jesus…” She shook her head in disbelief and made to walk round him but he grabbed her arm.

“What’s so funny?”

“Let go of me.”

“I asked you a question…”

“And she asked you to let her go.” A familiar voice said and Katie looked up to see Steve stood in the corridor, hands on his belt buckle as the door to the main bar area swung shut behind him, causing the loud background noise to fade slightly. “She won’t need to ask again.”

“Sorry…I…” Ward, let go of her arm as he composed himself and extended his arm in greeting. “Captain Rogers. We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m-“

“I know who you are, Agent Ward” Steve looked at him, not even moving to take the man’s proffered hand, and he saw Ward’s jaw twitch, as his arm dropped back to his side, fist balling and unballing.

“I see. ” Ward raised an eyebrow, looking from Katie, to Steve and he took a deep breath and nodded. “I meant what I said. I really am sorry.”

Katie didn’t reply, simply watched him leave as he brushed past Steve who moved to the side to let him pass, but only after shooting him one last contemptuous look before the Captain turned back to Katie.

“Are you ok? Did he hurt you?” Steve asked her, stepping forward, noting she was rubbing the place on her arm where Ward’s hand had gripped.

“Hurt me?” she frowned.

“Yeah, your arm.” He nodded to it.

“Oh, no.” she said, shaking her head as her hand moved. “That was just weird.”

“Weird?”

“Yeah, I mean, well for so long I thought about what I’d say to him when I eventually did see him again, you know, how much he hurt me, broke my heart, but right then when I got the opportunity, I realised I actually don’t give a shit anymore.”

Steve smiled. “Good, I’m glad he didn’t upset you.” There was a pause before he gestured over his shoulder. “You err, you wanna go back in?”

“Do you think anyone would notice if I left?” She shrugged. “I don’t wanna be here anymore and there’s a bottle of wine and a pint of ice cream at home with my name on it”

“What Ice cream?” Steve asked, looking at her, raising his brow hopefully and she shook her head, chuckling.

“Mint choc chip.” she looked at him, before she turned to head towards the door of the bar before she stopped, and spoke again, without looking back. “Suppose I can share.”

With that she pushed the door open and Steve grinned, following her out.

*********

“I don’t know why you wear shoes so high if you can’t walk in them?” Steve snorted as Katie let out a groan, kicking her shoes off as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.

“Because they look good.” She shrugged. “I’m just gonna get changed, won’t be long. Grab yourself a drink.”

Whilst she was in the bedroom Steve did as he was told and grabbed a beer for himself, and poured Katie a glass of wine before carrying them into the lounge and setting them on the coffee table. He had to stop himself from staring when she walked back into the room, all long legs and thigh tattoo, in a pair of denim shorts and a hoody. She dropped heavily onto the sofa besides him, taking her wine and gulping down a large mouthful.

“You sure you’re ok?” he asked, looking at her.

“Stop asking me that, Steve.” She snapped. “I’m fine.”

“Sorry, I didn’t…”

“No, I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “That was uncalled for.” She looked at him and gave a soft smile. “I’m fine, honestly. And thank you, for being there before.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” Steve shook his head. “I care about you Katie, you know that. And, well, frankly, when I saw him with his hand on you, I wanted to smash his face into the wall.”

Katie let out a huff of laughter as she glanced at her wine glass. “You’ll have to get behind Tony in the queue.”

Steve looked down at his beer, before he took a deep breath. “The guy is a dick.” he said, tilting side on so his arm was over the back of the sofa behind her. “And I don’t mean that just because of tonight. If you were my girl I wouldn’t be looking twice at anyone else.”

Katie smiled, as she looked up at him. “That’s because you’re a gentleman.”

“No.” he shook his head, his blue eyes locking onto hers. “It’s because you’re worth so much more than that.”

“Sure.” she shrugged and Steve pressed his lips together in a firm line of frustration.

“Don’t…”

“What?” she frowned.

“Do that.“ he pressed.

“Do what?”

“Put yourself down. You do it all the time” he sighed.

“I don’t.” She swallowed, looking away.

“Yes, you do. You think so little of yourself but you shouldn’t. Katie, you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met” With that he took a deep breath, there was no going back now. The hand that wasn’t draped around the back of the sofa reached out and tangled in hers and as she raised her head to look at him, her eyes were filled with tears and he swallowed, his mouth feeling suddenly dry as the blood pounded in his ears, his heart beating so rapidly he thought it might burst through his chest.

He had to make her understand, just how deep his feeling went.

His right hand gently moved from the sofa back to the side of her jaw where he simply cupped her face and she closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. When she opened them again, it was just in time to see his gaze flicker to her mouth, before he leaned forward, a movement that was slow and seemed to take forever, until his lips met hers in a soft, sweet kiss that set every single nerve in her body on edge.

Steve pulled away slightly, just enough so that he could look into her eyes, make sure she was okay with this, and finding nothing but eagerness on her part, he pressed his lips back to hers.

The entire world around them faded to nothing and they both relaxed as this time the kiss deepened slightly, his hand still cupping her cheek as he slid his tongue gently across her bottom lip. She obliged, opening her mouth slightly and at the touch of her tongue on his Steve felt a jolt of electricity surge up his spine. Eventually they broke away and Steve gently slid his nose along hers unable to keep the smile off his face as their foreheads rest together.

“Where did you learn to kiss like that, Captain Badass?” She whispered and he gave a chuckle.

“To be honest with you…” he sat up slightly, his right hand returning to where it had been before, resting on the back of the sofa “I don’t think I have until now.”

She grinned and tucked her hair behind her ear with a hand that was trembling from nerves, adrenaline and absolute pleasure at being kissed by the utter God of a man sat on her sofa.

“So err…” Steve licked his lips. “I know this might be a little late, so to speak after, well, erm, yeah, but I’d really like to take you out, you know, on a date?”

Katie blinked as he stuttered over his words, and suddenly became aware she was chewing on her lip. She felt heat in her cheeks as she looked at him and nodded, smiling softly. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

That crooked grin she knew and had come to love spread across his face.

“You free tomorrow?” he asked before hastily correcting himself “It’s Saturday, or is that too soon? We could always go next weekend instead if you want or-”

“Steve,” she cut him off, gently squeezing her fingers round his, “tomorrow is fine.”

“Great, tomorrow…that’s…great…” He trailed off as Katie held his gaze.

The air between them seemed to crackle and this time it was her that initiated the kiss. This one was slightly deeper, the fire in her belly was hotter and that naughty part of her would have loved nothing more than to throw her hands round his neck and pull him down on top of her. But Steve Rogers was nothing if not a gentleman, and she didn’t want to rush into anything. She’d waited too long for this to fuck it up by moving too fast. With that in mind she willed herself to pull away.

“So err, you wanna watch a film or…” She glanced at the TV.

“Yeah…” Steve gave a little chuckle, his eyebrows raising a little before he took a deep breath. “You need another drink?”

Katiee nodded and he hopped up off the sofa, taking her empty glass to top it up, frankly glad of the chance to cool down. He’d had to stop himself then from pushing her down on the couch, but he knew that wouldn’t be the right thing to do. He wanted to do this properly, it was too special to risk.

Katie flicked through the android box, and with a grin found the perfect film, one that was a comedy, not romance or action, something easy.

“The Sandlot?” Steve asked as he handed her the filled glass, reading the title on the screen. “It’s about baseball?”

“More about kids having adventures over summer but yeah, baseball features a lot. It’s funny, you’ll like it”

“Sure I will.” Steve said, as he settled down next to her.

She pressed play on the film, threw the remote onto the coffee table and lifted Steve’s arm, sliding into place beneath it, tucking herself in against his side with her legs curled up beneath her. It was something she’d done so many times before but this time, well it felt different. Steve pressed a kiss to her head before turning his attention back to the film, his arm draped over her shoulders, fingers gently tracing shapes on her upper arm.

They sat in the dark living room, watching the film, not another word shared. They both laughed, Steve grimacing at the Chewing Tobacco scene where the kids all vomited off the side of a fairground ride, it reminded him far too vividly of the time he had barfed after riding the Cyclone, and at the end when it showed one of the kids playing for the LA Dodgers Steve was the first one to break the comfortable silence, letting out a little snort.

“I still don’t like the fact they aint in Brooklyn any more”

“Really, you never mentioned it.” Katie said sarcastically, sitting up.

He rolled his eyes before he stretched. “I should be going.”

“Yeah, it is late.” Katie agreed, standing up as he did. “And I got a big date tomorrow.”

“Yeah” he asked, paying along as he walked to the door “Anyone I know?”

“Just some guy from work.” she shrugged. “He’s pretty hot but don’t tell him I said so.”

Steve laughed. “You’re a nightmare, you know that?” he smirked.

“Yeah but, you love it.” Katie shrugged as the elevator arrived.

“Yeah, I do.” Steve smiled softly, dropping a gentle kiss to her lips. “Goodnight, Doll.”

“Night Stevie.”

He squeezed her hand and stepped into the elevator and as soon as the doors had closed, a huge shit eating grin spread across both their faces.

***** Chapter 5

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #katie stark #chris evans #chris evans characters

102 notes · View notes

subatomiccherry · 5 years ago

Text

New Perspective: Chapter 2

Hello again! It’s me again, back with another chapter for y’all. Demand is definitely a lot higher than I thought it was going to be, and I’m so grateful for how much love this has been getting! I hope y’all continue to enjoy. See the end for additional notes as well as the tag list.

Tom Nook x Reader

Slow Burn

Warnings: Spoilers for Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Words: 2.6K

Links: Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 (You are here!) - Chapter 3

Any photos or gifs do not belong to me, so if you like them then go give love to the original creator!

Chapter 2

Sleep lifted off you slowly and you groaned, turning over in your cot. You had slept like a rock for the first time in months and you would be damned if you had to get up now. “_____? Are you in there?” a familiar voice filtered in from outside. “Oh, I hope I haven’t woken you abruptly. Ah, but I do wish to discuss something with you. Yes, yes! I’ll be here when you’re ready.” You could hear footsteps walking away and you sighed, resigning yourself to the fact that getting up was inevitable. Opening your eyes was a chore, and you had to squint for a few seconds due to the blinding sunlight that made its way in through the cracks. You could hear birds chirping outside, a melodious chirping that reminded you of home. Standing and stretching, you could hear a few joints pop.

Unzipping the door to the tent, you climbed out and were greeted with the smiling face of Tom. “Ah, there you are. I hope you had a pleasant nap. Or, well… I suppose it was a bit more than a nap, wasn’t it? It’s a brand-new day!” You choked mid-yawn. “I slept that long?!” Tom burst out laughing.

“Oh ho ho! Yes, it’s quite normal to be worn out from such a long trip – and a major life event! Speaking of which, I have some things for you! Rummaging in his pockets for a few seconds, he brought out a cell phone. You had had one before you departed but left it behind. Purposely of course, for reasons best left unspoken. “Oh, Mr. Nook- “ “Tom.” He reminded you, smiling, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Tom. I can’t accept this. Besides, I didn’t think there was actual cell service out here...?” Nook chuckled, “Yes, yes, that’s what one would think! But these are special Nook phones! I had them made specifically for island residents. We have our own special cell network out here that only our island-goers can access. It’s very secure.” A part of your anxiety was eased with this reassurance and you took the phone from him.

After a somewhat lengthy process of Nook going through and explaining the apps and their capabilities, you pocketed the phone. “Now you’ll notice that the contact list is rather empty,” Nook began. “So, would you do me the honor of letting me give you my number?” he asked, giving you a wink. Cue an immediate blush on your part. “Oh, sure! That’d be great actually.” You said, totally not fumbling with getting your phone back out of your pocket. You handed it over to him and watched as he typed on the phone. When he handed it back to you, you noticed that he had saved his number under the name of Tom N, but he had added a leaf emoji along with one that had a smiling face. You chuckled.

“Unfortunately, we are to the part that everyone seems to dislike.” Hearing him say that, you look up from the phone to see him holding a piece of paper. “Your itemized bill.” He hands you the paper with a few various fees on it. A few listed are the air fare, accommodations, labor fees, and the price of the Nook Phone, all totaling at $49,800 bells. You paled, not at the price, well, yes, at the price. You had spent the last of your bells on the air ticket, leaving you with nothing extra. You had been in such a hurry to leave, the thought of bringing extra to live on didn’t even occur to you. “I um…” you began hesitantly, your mouth suddenly very dry. Nook cocked his head at you questioningly. “I don’t have any bells. I spent the last of them on the travel ticket.” You looked back down at the paper, not wanting Nook to see the fearful expression on your face.

A paw landed on your shoulder. “My dear ____, there’s no need to fret! There are other ways you can pay besides bells!” Your head snapped up, locking eyes with his. “Tom! If you’re implying what I think you’re implying then-!” He cuts you off quickly, rushing to explain. “No no no! I don’t mean that in the slightest! I meant paying with the Nook Mileage Program!” You giggle, “I was just teasing Tom, no need to get all worked up.” He blushes, his furry face heating up and tail bushing up. “I’ll admit that didn’t exactly come out the way I meant.” You wink at him, silently preening at the fact that you could fluster him. “So, Nook Mileage?” you ask, changing the subject.

“Ah, yes, with the program, you earn miles by simply living and doing things around the island. Think of it like scout awards, but miles! Ill just have to register you in the program.’ You hand over your phone and he fiddles with it, soon handing it back to you. “There! You’re all registered.” You thank him and pocket it. “Now then, I do have some things I have to take care of in the Resident Services tent, so you are free to explore and do anything to your heart’s content. This is your home now after all.” He gives a farewell wave and leaves in the direction of the main area.

Now left to your own devices, you look around, seeing a lot of trees and natural growth. Weeds litter the area, so you take some time and pick them. In no time at all, you cleaned up your little spot, and most of the surrounding area. Everything is just so green and fresh; you can’t help but smile. You brush all the picked weeds together in a pile and stand, wiping your hands onto already grass-stained pants. A splashing sound alerts you to the stream and you walk over to it. Some small fish swim under the water, occasionally jumping out and back in. Following the stream seems like a good thing, so you follow it, and it leads to a sandy beach area. The airport is in the distance, but other than that the waves lapping against the sand are unobstructed. You follow the beach, picking up shells that you run across and just enjoying the sunshine. After walking for a little bit, cliffs come up in your field of vision with flowers atop them. If you had a ladder, you could probably appreciate them more up close, but oh well. The beach continues a bit, so you keep walking.

“Oh!” You exclaim out loud. A small private beach had been revealed, sandwiched between the cliff and the sea, hidden behind a wall of rocks that you had to climb over to access. Rather small, but cozy and private, being at the very corner of the island. Perhaps this could be somewhere to come to relax by yourself.

The sun was starting to set, so you stopped in your exploring and began to head back to the main area. You had had a full day, exploring and having a few conversations with your new neighbors had set you in a rather good mood. All the things you had done throughout the day had you feeling rather hungry, so you stopped at a fruit tree and shook some of the peaches off. You grabbed one for yourself, but upon remembering that you needed to stop by the Resident Services tent, you grabbed a few more for Tom and the kids.

It didn’t take you long to reach the main area, and with peaches in hand, you entered the tent. All three of the tanukis were inside, and they looked up to see you. “_____!” Timmy cried, running up to hug you with Tommy close behind. They crashed into you and you staggered, trying to keep a hand on the peaches while still leaning down to catch the boys in a hug. “Hello, you two!” you laughed, steadying yourself and them. They released you from their surprisingly strong grips and started to bombard you with questions about your day and where all you went in your exploration. They were babbling so much though that you couldn’t get a word in edgewise. “Alright Timmy, Tommy, that’s enough. I think poor _____ would like to talk sometime as well.” Nook speaks up, and the boys’ voices quiet. You laugh and hand the boys their peaches. “My day was fine; I talked to the neighbors and had a lot of fun exploring the island.” They seemed to accept your short explanation and focused on eating their treats. You walked over to Nook and handed him his as well. “Oh! Thank you ____!” Nook smiled at you, placing it on the table beside him. “I shall have it as a snack later. Now that it is dark out, will you allow me to walk you back to your tent tonight as well?” Timmy looked up when he heard this and nudged his brother, the both of them watching you and Nook curiously.

‘I’d like that.” You smiled at him, and took his outstretched paw, him leading you out of the tent. A few seconds after the door zipped shut, Tommy turned to his brother. ‘Do you think they like each other?” Timmy shrugged, taking a thoughtful bit of his peach. ‘I mean, _____ brought us peaches, so if Uncle Nook got one too… I guess so.” Tommy rolled his eyes.

“No Timmy, I mean like-like him.”

“Oooohh… Well, probably. They were holding hands after all.”

_______________________________________________________________

The night air refreshed you from the cramped interior of the tent and you let out a happy sigh. The moonlight here was strong, so everything was illuminated rather well. “So, you had a good day exploring, hm?” Nook asks, glancing at you. “Oh yeah, there was tons to explore and I found a really cool spot by the beach.” Nook looks at you in wonder. “Is that so? I had explored the island when I had first arrived here to deem it suitable to live on, but I hadn’t explored the beach in its entirety. I would love to see it if you don’t mind showing me.” He looks at you with pleading eyes, and you’re too weak to say no.

“Alright! Just quit looking at me like that!” You groan. He chuckles, “Too mesmerized by me to say no, hm?” He squeezes your hand slightly, making you blush but laugh as well. Walking in silence for a while, you finally come to the rock wall that the beach was hidden behind. Nook whistles lowly, “No wonder I didn’t see this before, it’s rather far away from everything else, and hidden on top of that!” Humming in agreement, you clamber on top of the rocks. Perching on top of the wall, you lean down to see Nook looking up at you. “It’s a bit of a climb, think you can handle it old man?” you tease, swinging your legs back and forth. “Old man?! He squawks in indignation, “I’ll show you who’s old!” He climbs up the wall and sets himself beside you, a look of smug victory on his face before hopping down to the other side. “I beat you,” he says smugly, paws on his hips. Punching yourself for forgetting his feat of strength in carrying you yesterday, you roll you eyes at him. “I never said it was a race,” You stick your tongue out at him. “Well if it was, I would have won,” He replies. Holding his arms out, he adds, “Come on now, jump down and I’ll catch you.” “I can get down on my own thanks,” You say, and he starts to lower his arms but before he can, you continue. “But I will accept your gracious offer.” He looks up at you to see your teasing face and he chuckles. Shimmying yourself a bit, you let yourself off the wall and fall into his waiting arms.

After setting you down, he turns to observe the small area. “Isn’t it beautiful?” you ask, settling yourself down onto the sand just out of reach of the lapping waves. The moonlight beams softly down, illuminating the sand and bouncing off the moving waves, causing sparkling reflections to be thrown around. Your attention captured by the water, you don’t see Nooks gaze looking at you when he utters, “Yes, beautiful…”

He settles down beside you, leaning back to see the full moon sitting high in the sky. “I think we might be the only two to know about this spot,” you say, lifting some sand into your hand and letting it filter through your fingers. “There were no footprints here earlier in the day, and only mine when we got here.” Nook hums in response.

“I truly admire all you’ve done on the island so far.” Nook begins after a while, breaking the quiet of the night. “Your interaction with the residents definitely deems you worthy of the title of Resident Representative. But because of that title, I wish to apologize. It has come to my attention that I may have pressured you into the position, and I wish to apologize if I made you uncomfortable in any way.” “Tom,” You interrupt, placing your hand on his paw to stop him. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. Far from it actually…” If Nook notices your blush at that, he chooses not to comment. “And I’m happy with the position. I’m glad you gave it to me.” Nook smiles at that, and you smile back at him. You gaze into each other’s eyes, transfixed. His eyes flick down momentarily to your lips then back up. He leans forward slightly, and time seems to slow. His paw reaches up and cradles your face, and you lean into his touch. “May I… kiss you?” he whispers. Not trusting yourself to speak without saying something stupid, you nod, and Nook closes the distance between you, pressing your lips together. The kiss is chaste and gentle, his paw still cradling your face with the sounds of the ocean surrounding you. He pulls back and you follow subconsciously. You look at each other, unsure of what to say after that event. “So, do I get miles for kissing you?” you ask, and you both burst into laughter.

_______________________________________________________________

“So, now you know about that spot on the island,” You say in front of the entrance to your tent. Nook nods, “Indeed! It was an interesting find, and I thank you for showing me. Though I promise not to let the secret out.” He winks and you giggle. “I think it might be time for me to retire for the night though,” You yawn. “I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, yes. In fact, thanks to your wildlife contributions today, and old friend of mine will be coming to the island tomorrow in hopes to set up a museum here.” Nook mentions.

You smile at him, shaking your head fondly. “Tom, I have to go to sleep now.” He sighs, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “Yes, yes. I understand. Sleep is important. Very much so. Did I mention that my old friend is an owl?”

You lean forward to kiss him, and swiftly enter your tent, zipping it behind you, leaving Nook in a shocked silence. “Goodnight!” You call out, laughter in your voice. A small squeak is all that reaches your ears before you hear him turn and walk away unsteadily.

Settling into your cot is a great comfort and you snuggle down into your blanket. Rest reaches you for a few seconds before the full weight of the evening’s events decide to replay in your mind. A blush resides heavily on your face and your mind begins to race. “Wait, we kissed. Twice…”

________________________________________________________________

And so ends chapter 2! Sorry that the Nooklings didn’t get much time in this chapter, but don’t worry, they’ll appear a lot more in the upcoming chapters!

Thanks everyone so much for reading! If you’d like, go check out my other works on my page. My uploading schedule is a little inconsistent, but thanks to summer break coming up, I’m hoping to post maybe every other day.

Requests are open!! Send me a message or send me an Ask.

Ask if you want to be added to the tag list! And for those of you on the tag list, if the tags don’t work, let me know! I still don’t fully understand how tagging works lol

Tag list for New Perspective

@accio-zara

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#animal crossing #new horizons #animal crossing new horizons #tom nook #timmy and tommy #nooklings #nook inc #tom nook x reader #x reader

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aboyandhisstarship · 5 years ago

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from the archives 3

Hey all, a while ago i started a Gwenvid AU idea and did one chapter before I got distracted and lost momentum of writing it, as such here is a what I have finished of the second chapter of the old FBI Gwen AU (it’s been so long I don't remember what i called it)

24 hours later:

David sat on a chair his Assault rifle across his leg taking a nap, Jasper and Nurf were on their way back from extracting Sasha for more interrogation, Tabii and Gwen were both had been spent the last day going over the data they got off Sasha, both her phone and testimony.

Gwen sighed “Redcap…his movements…”

Tabii nodded “he is quite unreliable…but I think we got him.”

Tabii yelled “Nomad!”

David woke up rubbing his eyes “Redcap, Gwen…status?”

Gwen smiled “Dirty Kevin…I think we found him.”

3 hours later:

Gwen turned on a projector briefing “Kevin Turner…better known by his street name Dirty Kevin is a drug trafficker of some Notoriety, he started life in New York city where as Teen he would hang outside of bars at closing and try to sell drugs to drunken tourists, there are some Questionable reports that you lured some to a “Adult DVD store” where there organs would be harvested.” Gwen paused dramatically “but these reports are considered Unreliable.”

The slide changed “when he was 17 he was busted for procession, we are talking literally 4 days before he turned 18, not wanting to go up in real prison he ran…we lost track of him for about 6 years until he pops up again, in Mexico. Where he had made a name for himself as a go to guy in moving merchandise over the US border, he earned his nickname when he once hid in the desert for an entire week to avoid the border patrol, but still delivered the drugs.”

Nurf asked “how did a guy like that end up here?”

Gwen nodded “great question…the answer is chance…Kevin was making a run in El Salvador, where Daniel was passing through trying to gather followers for his message, He met with Jen and Daniel…and the three hit it off…he bought in hard to their beliefs, converting…and helping to fund the Cult…even now…”

Jasper threw up and caught a paper ball in the air saying “so we bring him in…and learn all we can about their smuggling routes?”

Gwen paused before shaking her head “no…” she took a shaky breath “we already know all we need from him, we need to shut down there movement network and cut off Cult funding…as such you are to.”

Gwen gulped again and David took over asking “Eliminate him?”

Gwen nodded clearly fighting her uncomfortable ness with the idea as she added “The fireballs will move in after the deed is done and secure the region…”

David nodded saying “get saddled up.”

His team quickly left and he said quietly “Gwen are you ok…?”

Gwen sighed “I just ordered a hit No…” Gwen could not even finish the sentence before she cruelled into her self

David said “David…”

Gwen blinked “huh?”

David smiled “My name is David, Gwen… and it is ok if you’re not comfortable with this, the team in fact appreciate it.”

Gwen looked up at the red head sadly saying “huh why?”

David sighed “we do a lot of wet work like this; it helps to know that we are not being commanded to kill for ease or out of laziness…we may bring death but this does not mean we are overly fond of it.”

Gwen smiled “Thank you…David…this has been tough for me.” She finished with a chuckle

David touched her shoulder “just remember who you are and what you stand for…and you will be ok.”

Gwen nodded letting the soldier leave.

That night:

The rain gently fell upon David as he looked through his sniper scope, the water gently falling off the scope and the leaves of his ghillie suit, He flicked off the safety as he saw dirty Kevin’s car approach exhaling , he muttered over the com “Yellow…yellow….red….Green.” Gwen listened to that word before it was joined by a huge bang and David saying “Tango down….we are RTB.”

Gwen exhaled “that was not murder…totally…” she tried to convince herself

4 hours later:

David crept into the safe house and saw Gwen passed out in front of her computers, there were still running, David crept forward and heard a light snore coming from the passed out agent.

Jasper shook his head “she hasn’t slept since we arrived…figures she would pass out eventually.”

David touched her shoulder but Gwen did not respond as Nurf said “she is out of it.”

David gently picked up Gwen carrying her to the bed in the safe house putting her down and placing a blanket over her. David turned to his team “get some rest…I got first watch.”

His team all grabbed some chairs as David went outside to keep watch.

Gwen blinked awake, panicking for a second thinking that she fell asleep that means they are going to be able to get her, she opened her eyes, and saw members of the ops team around her…they were in a protective array clearly protecting her. Gwen smiled gently to herself as she drifted off again.

#Gwenvid #Delta!AU #from the archives

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sebseyesandbuckysthighs · 6 years ago

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Three Soldiers and a Baby | Part Five

summary: Three handsome bachelors find their day to day operations disrupted when an unexpected new roommate (who comes complete with a diaper and a pacifier) shows up at their doorstep. How will they deal with this new and baffling responsibility without losing their minds or killing each other in the process?

pairings: Bucky x Reader (eventual) featuring Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson

warnings: none

a/n: It’s been a minute, but here’s part five! Sorry for the shorter chapter, but things are still moving along. Getting there slowly, but surely! I’ve actually been thinking about changing the posting schedule to twice a week, but work has been a little chaotic lately so I’m not sure what to do just yet. Also, sorry for not posting/responding to comment feedback this past week like I usually do. Like I said, chaos reigns! But I appreciate everyone who’s been keeping up with the story and leaving some nice little feedback for me. You’re all amazing and I appreciate you! Oh and Happy Canada D’eh! 💖

*warning to mobile users, the “keep reading” tab may not work so apologies in advance*

| previously |

After another minute passed, Steve’s impatience was really kicking in. He placed pillows on either side of Ellie to make sure she didn’t roll around and then turned to help Sam. “Just open the damn container.” He reached out to grab the bottle from him, but Sam pulled it away.

“I’m trying to for fucks sake!” Sam exclaimed, slamming the bottle down on the table in his frustration. A thick cloud erupted from the bottle covering both men in the soft white powder. Loud peals of laughter sounded behind them as both men slowly turned to face Ellie, who was clearly in hysterics over the mess they made.

Sam’s tired sigh turned into a low growl. “Barnes owes me so bad after all this and I plan to collect large.”

“You and me both, pal.” Steve agreed before they both broke out into a fit of coughs.

———————————————————————

Steve would be the first to admit that things may have started off a little rocky, but he felt like they were on a good track now. The fact that Ellie soiled her clean diaper almost as soon as they changed her was just another little speed bump. The little insect was just waiting for it. The two men were still covered in a light dusting of baby powder even though they did manage to shake themselves free of most of it. Unfortunately they would each have to wait for a shower until they figured out what to do with the child.

The pages from the letter they found were starting to crinkle with the amount of times Steve went back to read it. They'd have to have it laminated the way they were going. Ellie wasn't due for a feeding for a couple hours and now that she was clean, they really didn't know what to do with her. How were two grown men - whose main priority was to fight against the evils of the world - supposed to entertain a little baby? Of course, it was Steve that started strategizing because, well, that's what he does.

“Okay, what we need to do is figure out how all of this is going to work and what we're supposed to expect. Sam, can you hold onto Ellie so I can go grab my laptop?” He lifted Ellie off the couch cushion and turned towards Sam who kept looking back and forth between the baby and Steve.

“How about you hold onto the kid and I go grab your stuff. You two already have a little thing going on. I'd hate to get in the middle of that.” He crossed his arms over his chest as though that would protect him from having to do anything.

“Sam, there's no way I'm doing this alone. Sooner or later you're going to have to hold her and right now is as good a time as any.” Steve held her out a little more expectantly.

There was no doubt that the Captain was right and Sam knew that, but it really did nothing to calm his nerves. To share the responsibilities and duties of caring for a child that wasn't your own was not something Sam thought he would ever have to do. Barnes really would be in a world of trouble the moment he walked through the front door.

Reluctantly, Sam agreed but not before pumping himself up a little bit first. After a few sets of lunges, a couple jumping jacks, and some light jabs into thin air, Sam was as ready as he'd ever be. He craned his neck to the side, outstretched his arms, and let Steve place the small bundle in his hands. While Steve had been watching unimpressed by the spectacle his roommate was putting on, Ellie was just staring up at him in wonder. Maybe she was still too young to think he was being ridiculous, like Steve thought he was.

After a few seconds passed with Sam holding out the baby like a sacrificial offering, he dared to open his eyes and get a good look at her. To his surprise, she wasn't crying and didn't even seem upset. She just kept staring up at him with her big blue eyes and her little fingers in her mouth, drooling all over her hand.

Once he loosened up a little bit he gently started rocking back and forth. “Alright this isn't so bad. Yeah. We can do this.”

Confident that he could leave the two on their own, Steve went off in search of his laptop so they could do some serious baby research. Whether they wanted to or not, this was happening and they needed as much information as possible. Over the next hour, they did as much research as they could. Visiting websites and blogs, even watching videos and ordering a couple books online. The mother didn't specify how long this little arrangement would last so they thought the more prepared they were, the better off they'd be.

During that time, Sam and Steve would take turns entertaining Ellie while the other worked at the laptop and read everything out loud. Steve enjoyed talking to her. Just pointing out little things around the apartment and asking her questions she couldn't answer. When it was Sam's turn he would do much of the same except there was a little bit more movement. He would get up and waltz around the room with her in his arms, singing to her while she mumbled back. He even took her into Bucky's room and started telling her things about him. For the most part he only mentioned the negative traits.

“Sam, don't say those kind of things to her.”

“It's alright, man. It's all in the tone of voice you use.” Sam said sweetly. “As long as it sounds pleasant she doesn't care what I'm saying. Even if I'm telling her that her daddy's a tool, she's still all smiles. See, look at that.” He turned Ellie to face Steve and he was right. She was smiling up at Sam as though he wasn't just shit-talking her father.

When it finally came time to feed her Sam was the one to prepare the bottle since according to him, Steve was more likely to burn it. Sam even made sure to check that the milk wasn’t too hot by dabbing some on his wrist before handing the bottle to Steve who was still holding Ellie. She was starting to get fussy, but Steve was stuck admiring the way Sam seemed to be getting a grip on their new and strange situation.

“Don’t act so shocked, Steve.” Sam said, urging him to give the kid the bottle. “They do that kind of thing all the time in movies with little kids in them.”

Steve was about to ask what kind of kid friendly movies Sam had been talking about, but Ellie was starting to fuss in his arms. He shushed her gently and gave her the bottle, surprised to see how eager she was for the formula. Once her belly was full and she was properly burped, they settled her back into the bassinet to see if maybe she would be ready for a nap. It only took a few more moments of cute little babbling before she started to drift off to a peaceful slumber. One that they hoped would last until dinner time.

“Huh,” said Sam quizzically. “So that’s all she’s gonna do then? Eat, sleep, and shit?” That doesn’t seem so bad.” He turned to look at Steve who had already plopped down on the recliner and was emitting soft sounds from his partially opened lips. The super soldier was exhausted and they had only spent half a day with the kid. This was definitely going to be a lot harder than they thought.

Sam smiled down at his slumbering friend, taking pity on him for having done his fair share of the work with little Ellie. After a handful of seconds he was done taking pity on him, though, and moved to grab Steve by the shoulders and shake him awake.

“Wake your ass up. We’ve still got work to do if this kid is gonna be interrupting our typical daily operations.”

“Thanks, Sam.” Steve said with an unappreciative groan, wiping his hands down his tired face. “Okay, what’s first.”

Sam looked down at his friend then to the cute sleeping baby. He noticed the letter was still open on the coffee table and grabbed it.

“First,” he said. “We gotta find out who the baby mama is and what kind of trouble she’s in.”

———————————————————————

Feedback is always appreciated, leave it here!

———————————————————————

part four << part five >> part six

———————————————————————

Series Masterlist

Full Masterlist

———————————————————————

tags:

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #steve rogers #sam wilson #bucky barnes fanfiction #avengers fanfiction #three soldiers and a baby #my writing

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setaripendragon · 6 years ago

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Never Simple - Chapter 4

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] This chapter is mostly just build up, if I’m honest, and Tucker is really annoying to write. I’m never sure if I’ve got the right balance of unassuming and creepy.

Central City was huge and crowded. To Ed, who had never been beyond Risembool before, it was overwhelming. He was loathe to admit it, but he really did not want to get off the train. Just looking at the platform through the window was enough to make him feel claustrophobic. But he wasn’t the only one inside his own body anymore, and Truth got them up off the seat before Ed could sink any deeper into his reluctance.

Swallowing down his nerves, Ed gave Truth a mental nudge, and took over the task of collecting his suitcase. “Come on, Al.” He said, watching his brother as unobtrusively as possible to make sure he didn’t need any help. Al nodded, although he didn’t look any happier than Ed about the prospect of wading through the press of people on the platform, and slid down off his seat.

It hadn’t been the plan, for Al to come with him. Ed had been very determined to do this on his own, not to drag Al any deeper into the shit he’d stirred up, but then… Al hadn’t gotten better. Not all the way. It wasn’t anything as bad as right after Truth had possessed him – no more seizures, no more passing out, no more or lost time – but he’d been running a constant low-grade fever that just… wouldn’t go away. He complained of aching all the time, of shortness of breath, of persistent coughs and colds.

Then he’d caught pneumonia, and Ed had been half convinced he was going to have to bury his brother less than a year after burying his mother, he’d gotten so bad so quickly. After that, Granny had insisted that Al go with Ed to Central to see a specialist or five, and Ed hadn’t argued, never mind the fact that Al had eventually gotten better.

Wordlessly, Al grabbed hold of Ed’s hand, and Ed squeezed back, hoping it was reassuring. Then he set his jaw and forged ahead, hopping down off the train and into the seething crowd. The press of humanity was immediately overwhelming, and Ed was abruptly reminded of the Gate, of the multitudes of biological masses crushed together and writhing amongst each other, desperate and devouring and- His body threatened to lock up but Truth, once again, took over and kept them moving. They popped out of the scrum right beside the train into a less crowded section of the station, Al’s hand still safely clutched in Ed’s, only to be immediately confronted with military blue.

“Ah, there you are.”

Truth rippled under Ed’s skin, an instinctive roiling, and even if Ed hadn’t recognised the voice, he would have known who it was just from that reaction. “Mustang.” He greeted, glancing over the man and the ever-present Hawkeye at his shoulder. “I thought I was supposed to meet you at the military place.” He added with a scowl, because Granny had lectured him thoroughly on where he was supposed to go and how to get there, and there had been no talk of someone meeting them at the station.

“Originally, yes.” Mustang agreed. “But my original plans only factored in yourself, a State Alchemist candidate, for which I would have a certain leeway in providing for with military funds. The same could not be said for your brother, so I was forced to make other arrangements.”

Ed glowered, wondering whether he ought to take offence at the way the man was making Al sound like an inconvenient burden. Before he could do more than take a deep breath, though, Al squeezed his hand, and interrupted. “What sort of other arrangements, sir?”

“Since you would not be permitted to reside in the military dorms until the exam, I’ve convinced a State Alchemist to take you both in until the exams. I assumed you wouldn’t want to be separated.” He added, glancing at where they were still holding on to each other.

Ed refused to be embarrassed. “You got that right.” He asserted.

Mustang smiled, infuriatingly smug, and turned towards the exit. “Come along, then, Messrs Elric.”

“Not your fucking dog, bastard.” Ed growled.

“Not yet.” Mustang retorted without missing a beat, and Ed was dearly tempted to kick the man in the back of his knee. He wouldn’t be so smug after he’d fallen flat on his face in the middle of a train station. It was a nice thought, anyway, even if he knew Truth would never actually let him go through with it.

Mustang led them to a shiny black car, and opened the back door for them while Hawkeye got into the driver’s seat. Ed made Al get in first, then shoved their suitcases in, and climbed in after him. “How’re you feeling, Al?” He checked, rearranging the suitcases so they weren’t in the way. Mustang reappeared, getting into the front passenger seat, and Hawkeye started the car and pulled out onto the road.

Al gave Ed a deeply long-suffering look and a fond smile. “I’m okay, Brother. Really.” He added when Ed only continued to stare at him, trying to judge if he was being sincere. “Just a little bit tired.” He added, which was par for the course these days, and so it didn’t worry Ed too much.

“Then you should have a nap whenever we get to where we’re going.” Ed insisted, and then turned to look at what he could see of Mustang, which was mostly just his shoulder, his hair, and one pale ear. “Where are we going, anyway?” He demanded, raising his voice a little to make it clear he wasn’t talking to Al anymore.

“You’ll be staying at the house of Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist.” Mustang informs him. “He has a very extensive library, including several works on biological alchemy that cannot be found anywhere else. I thought you might appreciate the chance to study some more before the exams.” He explained smugly.

Ed honestly wasn’t sure whether it was himself or Truth that snorted at that. They were so united in their scorn at the notion that they might need to study that it hardly mattered anyway. “If there’s anything he can teach me about biological alchemy, I’ll eat my boot.” Ed announced, folding his arms over his chest decisively.

Mustang turned around at that to give Ed a deeply unimpressed look. “For his own State Alchemist exam, Shou Tucker successfully created a talking chimera.” He stated, and then raised one eyebrow in blatant challenge.

Ed narrowed his eyes right back. “Talking or mimicking?” He asked.

Mustang’s other eyebrow rose to join its twin. “What do you mean?”

Slumping back into his seat, Ed scowled and rolled his eyes. “I mean that there are a lot of animals that can mimic human speech. Parrots, corvids, some monkeys. Make a chimera out of one or more of those, and you could probably teach them a bunch of phrases. So. Was it actually conversing, or was it just mimicking human voices, repeating things by rote?”

“It said only ‘I want to die’.” Mustang informed him, sounding mildly thoughtful, and Ed made a triumphant sound, that died in his throat a moment later when Mustang finished; “Then it starved itself until it got its wish.”

So it knew what it was saying. Truth concluded for Ed.

Some birds can use human speech to communicate. It’s not exactly conclusive proof. Ed thought grouchily, but he knew Truth would be able to tell that he wasn’t convinced. It was one thing for a bird to learn to associate the sound ‘food’ with being fed, and use it to request food, and another thing entirely for it to manage proper grammar, to understand ‘I’ and ‘want’ and the grammatical difference between ‘death’ and ‘to die’. And to put it all together into a sentence that wasn’t just a bunch of sounds learned by rote, but something it meant, enough to starve itself to death.

Not an easy thing to do, with food being provided for it. Truth pointed out, not that Ed needed it to. Survival instinct was a powerful force, usually. I assume Mustang would have mentioned it if the chimera looked human? Truth wondered, sending a nasty chill through Ed.

“Did it… look anything like a human?” Ed asked tentatively.

There was a pause, and Ed looked up to find Mustang glancing back at him again, startled by the question. “Not at all.” He said, with enough conviction that Ed didn’t doubt that he’d seen it. “It looked somewhat like a dog, somewhat like a monkey, and somewhat like a very small pony.” He paused, thoughtfully. “It had opposable thumbs, though.”

There was a grim note to Truth’s emotions that made Ed feel a bit sick. “Are there pictures?” He asked, and then, even though he didn’t want to; “Can I see them?”

Mustang abruptly looked smug again. “So, is this you admitting that perhaps Mr Tucker could teach you something about biological alchemy?” He taunted. Ed glowered at him, but Mustang just hummed knowingly, and returned his attention to the front of the car. “I’m sure Mr Tucker would be willing to show you his notes, if you asked nicely.”

Ed crossed his arms in a huff, but resolved that he would do his best to wheedle the notes out of Tucker. After the last six months or so, Ed had learned enough about the composition of many different brains to know that it would have been difficult – if not impossible – for Tucker to create a sufficiently advanced brain in a chimera made up of less complex animals. There was a very slim possibility that, if he’d studied brain structure and brain chemistry thoroughly enough, he could piece together a functional language-processing system out of bits and pieces, but… Ed had a sneaking suspicion that that would have required the knowledge of the things behind the gate.

It’s a really bad sign when you’re hoping for it to just be human experimentation, isn’t it? Ed thought dully, turning his head to glower out of the window. Truth didn’t answer, but Ed didn’t really need it to.

Outside the window, Central City rushed past, buildings and people and a couple of other cars now and then. The occasional tree or patch of greenery that signified a park or a particularly well-kept lawn. It distracted Truth more than it did Ed. It’s been so long since I last saw through human eyes. Truth explained, when Ed wondered about it’s preoccupation with the sights. It had said similar things before, when Ed was exploring Risembool, and it had been particularly interested in automail, which had definitely endeared it to Winry, but this seemed… different somehow. Cities didn’t used to taste like this, so much metal, steel and iron. And the concrete. Plastics. Ed’s head spun a little as Truth remembered every ‘taste’ it had experienced as Ed had ploughed through the crowd at the station, the molecular structure of everything it had touched en route to the car.

The scenery eventually slowed, and then stopped, and then Hawkeye said, somewhat unnecessarily, “we’re here,” as she turned the car off. Ed turned to check on Al, and found that at some point, he’d fallen into a light doze, head resting against the window.

“Al?” Ed called gently, reaching out to nudge his brother’s shoulder. Al grumbled, scrunched his face up, and tipped his head to squint blearily at Ed. “We’re here.” He repeated, and Al perked up a little, lifting his head properly to look out of the window.

“Oh.” He said dumbly, and Ed snorted.

“Come on, sleepy, let’s get inside so you can have a proper nap.”

Al nodded, so Ed scrambled out of the car, dragging their suitcases behind him so that Al couldn’t try to be an idiot and carry his own. The house he found himself standing in front of was huge, with a wrought iron gate and a wide lawn and at least three stories of red brick and large arched windows. “Oh, wow.” Al breathed as he came up to stand at Ed’s shoulder. “This place is huge.”

“The State Alchemist programme pays very handsomely.” Mustang agreed, smugly. Ed was beginning to figure out that was just the man’s default state. He allowed himself to be ushered up the pretty white path bisecting the front garden, and up the steps that lead to the front door. It was very nearly picturesque, but the closer Ed got to the door, the less he actually wanted to go through it. Something about this place was setting his teeth on edge.

Mustang knocked on the door, and after a few minutes, one half creaked open apparently by itself. At least, that’s what Ed thought until he looked down and saw a little auburn-haired girl hanging off the door handle. “Hello.” She said, staring up at them. “Are you Daddy’s guests?”

“That’s us!” Al confirmed cheerfully.

“Nina!” An exasperated voice called, right before a man that Ed assumed was Shou Tucker appeared behind his daughter. “I’m sorry, I was in my lab. Hello, Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant.” He greeted them with a nod, and then looked to Ed and Al. “And these must be the Elric brothers.”

“I’m Ed, and this is my little brother, Al.” Ed introduced.

“Pleasure to meet you.” Tucker replied with a faint smile. “I’m Shou Tucker, and this is my daughter, Nina.” Ed was about to say he’d figured that much out already, but Al elbowed him, and he snapped his mouth shut before the words spilled out. Right, politeness. “Please, come in.” Tucker went on, stepping back from the doorway and tugging Nina with him. “Will you be staying, Colonel? I can put on some tea…” He trailed off, sounding just a little uncertain, or maybe sheepish was a better word. Ed couldn’t quite place that strange hesitance.

“Tea would be lovely.” Mustang said politely.

Hawkeye cleared her throat. “You have work, sir.” She reminded him crisply, giving him the evil eye. Ed didn’t even bother to hide his grin at the way Mustang squirmed.

“Work can wait for another fifteen minutes, Lieutenant.” Mustang protested. “You wouldn’t want to abandon two children in a strange house without making sure they were settling in okay, would you? Besides, it would be rude to refuse.” He wheedled.

Hawkeye glared at him, but then her gaze softened a little as it flicked down to take in Ed and Al. Who absolutely did not need any supervision to dump their suitcases in a guest room and locate the library, but whatever. Adults were weird about that sort of thing. “Fifteen minutes, sir.” Hawkeye capitulated.

“Excellent!” Mustang enthused.

Tucker, who’d been watching the back and forth in bemusement, started leading them down the impressive hall now that everyone had decided whether they were staying or going. Nina scampered along at his heels, constantly peeking back at Ed and Al. Al waved every time she did, and on the third go around, Ed was pretty sure he heard her giggle.

The kitchen was just as large and impressive as the rest of the house, and they settled in around the large table after Ed double checked that Al was okay to stay up long enough for tea. “I told Edward some about your work on the way here.” Mustang began, once they all had steaming mugs in front of them. “He was very interested in your talking chimera.”

Tucker grimaced. “Ah, yes…” He sighed, and then glanced towards Edward, who was sitting up a little straighter, and trying to look attentive, instead of suspicious. “I was very proud of that, but I’ve been… unable to replicate the results.” He admitted ruefully, adjusting his glasses.

Do you think he could have put the right pieces together by accident? Ed wondered sceptically. Truth didn’t reply, just nudged him to pay attention. “That’s a pity.” Ed said, trying to sound sincere. “Do you think I could see your notes?”

Tucker blinked at him in surprise. “Uh… sure…” He said slowly, then winced. “That is… if you can find them. I know they’re in the library somewhere, but I can’t remember where. It’s been a while since I could wring anything useful out of them myself.”

“We can see your library?” Al asked, bright and eager. It was a relief to see, given how tired Al tended to be most of the time these days.

Tucker huffed a sound that was almost a laugh, and nodded. “Of course. I’m afraid I have a lot of work to do, what with the recertification coming up, so I won’t have any time to entertain guests.” Another grimace, and this time he slanted his look across to Nina. “I barely have any time for Nina anymore, if I’m being honest.”

“That’s okay, Daddy. I have Alexander to play with!” Nina assured him.

Tucker smiled, and leaned over to pat her on the head. “Alexander?” Al asked curiously.

“Our dog!” Nina informed him. “He’s huge and white and fluffy! And he’s really friendly and loves hugs!” She enthused.

Al chuckled, which turned into a cough. “He sounds like the perfect dog.” He managed to say once he’d suppressed the cough and drunk some tea to help wash the tickle away.

“Are you okay, Mister?” Nina asked, peering at him with exaggerated little kid worry.

“It’s just a cold.” Al assured her, not even twitching, the lying liar.

“You should go lie down.” Ed told him. “Get that nap.”

“I slept in the car, Brother. I’m fine.” Al insisted, scowling at him. “I’m not made of glass, you know.” Ed scowled right back, opening his mouth to argue further, but Al cut him off before he could start. “Besides, I want to see Mr Tucker’s library. Imagine how big it must be if you could lose notes in it!” His gaze slid out of focus as his expression turned wistful.

Ed couldn’t really blame him, but he could put his foot down. “Nap first, then the library.” He ordered. And this time he was the one cutting Al off before he could argue, which he was definitely going to with that outraged look on his face. “If you see the library first, you’ll start reading, and then the next thing you know, it’ll be dinner time, and you won’t have gotten a nap at all! Nap first.”

“Spoilsport.” Al pouted, because they both knew Ed was right. “You just want to keep the library all to yourself.”

“You know I’d rather have you there, Al.” Ed shot back, and Al wilted.

“You could come play with me and Alexander while Al has a nap, and that way you still both get to see the library together?” Nina suggested, and even though her voice was bold, there was a look on her face that tugged at Ed’s heartstrings. Truth was less affected, but since it didn’t actually voice a complaint, Ed decided to ignore it.

“I guess I could…” Ed mused reluctantly.

“That’s really sweet of you, Nina.” Al said, kicking Ed under the table. “I’m sure Brother would love to play with you.” Ed kicked Al back, but nodded for Nina, and the last of his reluctance melted away when he saw how she brightened at the confirmation.

“Well, since you seem to be settling in perfectly well, it’s time we were getting back to the office.” Hawkeye interjected. “Thank you very much for the tea, Mr Tucker.”

“Of course.” Tucker replied, trying not to smile at Mustang’s theatrical groan as he hauled himself to his feet. While Tucker was seeing them out, Ed chivvied Al upstairs to their room for the next few weeks, and tucked him into bed, despite Al’s eye-rolling at his fussing. Ed knew he was being kind of overbearing, honestly, but with all the knowledge Truth had crammed into his own head and leaking through in dribs and drabs, it just left him painfully aware of how ridiculously, stupidly fragile the human body really was.

Sitting on the edge of Al’s bed, he reached out and patted Al’s head, surreptitiously checking his temperature under the guise of ruffling his hair. “I’m just worried about you.” He muttered. “That’s my job as big brother.”

“I love you, too.” Al huffed fondly. “Now go away and let me sleep.”

Ed snorted, and ruffled Al’s hair a little more vigorously in punishment before getting up and going to find Nina. He found her peeking out at him from around the corner at the end of the hall his and Al’s bedroom was on, and when she spotted him she gave a tentative, hopeful little wave. “Hey.” Ed greeted. “So where’s Alexander, and what do you want to play?”

Beaming, Nina grabbed his hand the moment he was in reach, and began towing him towards the stairs. “Alexander is outside, because Daddy says he needs lots of exercise, but he doesn’t have time to take him for a walk.”

“Well, maybe we can do that for your dad while we’re here. You, me, and Al can take a walk with Alexander, and you can show us if there are any good parks around here.” Ed suggested. Of course, he regretted that offer the moment he stepped out of the back door and was promptly tackled by the biggest, fluffiest, friendliest dog he’d ever met and flattened to the floor as it snuffled at his hair and attempted to lick his face.

“Alexander likes you!” Nina enthused.

“Great.” Ed grumbled, pressing his face into the grass in the hopes of deterring the overly affectionate miniature bear sitting on top of him. The slew of mocking laughter he was expecting to hear inside his own head never came, and for all that he was glad not to be laughed at, it was more than a little weird to have such silence in his head when he’d gotten so used to the Truth having an opinion on everything.

You still there? He prodded.

Of course. I could hardly be anywhere else. Truth replied, but it felt distracted.

What’s got you all weird then? Ed pressed while he attempted to wriggle out from under Alexander, which devolved into play-wrestling, mostly because it made Nina laugh so hard she fell over on the grass.

We don’t… like this place. Truth decided.

Ed really wished he he could give Truth a look for that one, but he settled for just projecting as much disbelief and scepticism as he could. Because, well, obviously it didn’t. The guy who lived here was either experimenting on humans or had committed the same sin as Ed, that made the whole place creepy. What’s that supposed to mean?

We don’t know. Truth grumbled, petulant and frustrated and uncomfortable.

Well, let me know when you figure it out. Ed thought, rolling his eyes, and then threw himself headlong into playing with Nina and her bear that was masquerading as a dog to distract himself from everything. He didn’t really know what the hell was bothering Truth, but he could admit that he wasn’t exactly at ease with this place either. He would feel better once he’d found Tucker’s notes and could figure out what, exactly, he’d done to make a talking chimera, but since that had to wait for Al to wake up, he didn’t want to dwell on it.

Nina, he found, was a very lonely kid. All the shyness he’d seen in her before melted away under a little bit of attention, and she became quite the precocious little commander when given the opportunity. They played for long enough that even Ed was starting to get a little tired, and he was grateful when Nina flopped down onto the grass and called time out. He sat down beside her, and was forced to admit that Alexander wasn’t terrible when he came and flopped down in exactly the right place to be a back-rest for Ed to lean against.

“You must be a really good big brother.” Nina said lazily towards the sky.

Ed choked back the bitter laugh that wanted to escape on the surge of guilt that statement provoked. “I dunno. I try.” He hedged awkwardly.

“I wish I had a big brother like you.” Nina went on, and she sounded so stupidly sad and wistful that Ed couldn’t bring himself to explain to her that she really, really didn’t want a brother like him.

Instead, he cleared his throat. “Well, hey. Plenty of me to go around. I’m sure Al wouldn’t mind sharing.” Nina gasped and scrambled to sit up, looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes. “A baby sister wouldn’t be too terrible.” He added, looking away and scratching at the back of his head awkwardly.

“I’m not a baby.” Nina protested, but didn’t linger over long on the point when there were clearly more important issues to address. “Really? You mean it?!”

“Sure.” Ed confirmed. “Me’n’Al, we can be your big brothers, if you want.” Nina threw herself at him, landing half on his stomach as she wrapped her tiny arms around him. Ed wheezed, but didn’t let it stop him hugging her back. After a little while, during which Nina showed absolutely no signs of intending to let go of him any time soon, Ed said; “It must get pretty lonely in this big house just you and your dad.”

“Mm.” Nina agreed. “I don’t mind, Daddy’s work is important and I have Alexander.” She insisted, but Ed was beginning to suspect that was lie.

“What about your mum?” Ed asked, even though he wasn’t sure it was a good idea.

“Mummy left.” Nina told him, very subdued. “She used to say that Daddy wasn’t doing enough to s’pport us, and Daddy won’t say, but I think that’s why she left. That’s why Daddy’s work is so important. If he works hard enough… maybe Mummy will come back.”

Ed winced. Yeah, that made a nasty kind of sense. He would lay good money on Mummy never coming back, but he certainly wasn’t about to tell Nina that if she wanted to cling to the hope that she might. So instead he asked Nina if she was in school yet – not yet, she was starting next year – and what she was looking forward to learning most – science, of course, because she was obviously a little kid with excellent taste.

Al found them not much later, and grinned down at the pile of them on the lawn. “You look like you had fun, Nina.” He said, sitting down cross-legged beside Ed’s legs.

“Yeah! We played tag, and princesses and dragons, and I got to be a knight, and Alexander really likes big brother Ed.” Nina explained, sitting up a little and nearly kneeing him in the side in her enthusiasm. Ed wrapped an arm around her middle in an attempt to prevent too much squirming.

Al arched an eyebrow at Ed at that last part, and Ed glowered at him, tightening the loose hold he had on Nina in response. “We have a little sister now.” He declared stubbornly.

“You don’t mind sharing, right, Al?” Nina checked.

“Not at all.” Al assured her. “Especially not with someone as cool as you.” He added, which made Nina light up with pride.

Ed took the opportunity to start clambering to his feet, setting Nina on her own feet once he was up, and then offering Al a hand. “So, library?” He asked with an eager grin.

Al took his hand, but didn’t immediately jump on the idea of finally getting to the library, although he looked decidedly torn. “I was thinking, Brother.” He began, and Ed gave him a pleading look, begging without words for him to not distract them from the library. Al, of course, ignored him. “We really do need to see if we can find a good butchers nearby, and you know if we don’t do it now, we’ll never get around to it.” He pointed out significantly.

Ed sighed. “You know it’s not like they’re going to have fresh produce in the city.” He retorted, but he wasn’t really arguing.

“The closer to the source we get it from, the better it will be for you.” Al countered.

“But the library-!” Ed whined, gesturing back towards the house.

“It’ll still be there when we get back.” Al assured him. Ed scowled at him for being patronising, but he knew that he couldn’t exactly explain what exactly he was so eager to look for while Nina was in hearing range. “Unless you want to try hunting for rabbits in the underbrush again.” Al said thoughtfully.

Ed actually considered that, sincerely enough that he got Truth’s attention. At the sense of Truth’s curiosity, he indulged the memory of the training he and Al had been put through in order to prove themselves worthy of alchemy training, too relieved that Truth was actually responding to something to deny it out of spite. Truth, however, had no compunctions about laughing at him. An excellent alchemy teacher. It decided. But we should still see if we can find a butcher.

You just want to get out of this house. Ed accused. Truth didn’t respond to that, because they both knew that Truth wasn’t the only one who would be grateful for an excuse to get away. Ed was torn though, between the creepy feeling he got from the place, and the need to know exactly what was going on here.

He was distracted from his internal musings when he heard Nina asking “Why would you be hunting for rabbits?”

“To eat.” Ed informed her bluntly, ignoring the stinkeye Al gave him for it.

Nina gasped in horror. “No! That’s mean!”

“That’s how life works.” Ed retorted. Al punched him in the arm, and then turned to Nina to try and explain the circle of life to her in a less upsetting way. “Come on, you can explain while we walk.” Ed told him, and Al nodded, agreeably continuing his explanation while they trooped through the house, found a leash for Alexander, and set off on their quest.

#Fullmetal Alchemist #Venom AU #alien symbiote #Edward Elric #Alphonse Elric #Roy Mustang #Nina Tucker #Shou Tucker #Truth #not sure what to say about this #except that I'm really excited to finish fixing up the next chapter #mwuahahahaa

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lovemesomerafael · 6 years ago

Text

It’s Complicated Chapter 4: What If...

Source: @sherrykinss

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Why yes of course you can also read this on AO3

Frankie really, really did not want to untangle herself from Rafael to answer her phone, but she’d put it on the bedside table in case the NYPD or FBI needed to get in touch with her, and the screen told her it was Dean Porter. As she rolled back toward Rafael, she put the phone on speaker so that he could hear the call.

“I have some news,” Porter said without preamble.

“Shit. What did he do?”

“He set your car on fire. Well, he didn’t, he had the tweaker kid do it. But your car is destroyed.”

“Anybody hurt?”

“No, the parking garage near the courthouse has a good sprinkler system. Only damage was to your car. It’s all on video. Pretty brazen.”

“Did you catch the tweaker kid?”

“I’m sorry. Not yet. But he hasn’t come near your apartment, so there’s that.”

“I haven’t made it to the DMV yet, so the registration on my car still has my Virginia address.”

“Then there’s a chance he doesn’t know where you live yet. But it’s the twenty-first century, lots of ways he can find that out. We can’t take that for granted. Don’t tell me where you are on a cell phone, but are you in a safe place?”

“Yes.”

“Then wherever you are, you should stay there.”

Frankie looked up at Rafael, leaning over her in his bed with a concerned expression and a serious case of bed head.

“I will.”

“We’ll keep you informed.”

“Thanks, Dean. I appreciate everything you all are doing.” She hit the “end” button on the phone, tossed it aside on the bed, and threw her arm around Barba’s neck, pulling him down into a searing kiss.

“See? Gratitude’s not that difficult,” he muttered, tickling her lips with his laugh.

“Cállate.[1] He torched my car.”

“That’s why there’s insurance.”

“Thanks for the sympathy.” They were getting very good at talking and kissing – even serious kissing – at the same time.

“I’ll be sympathetic later. Right now, I’m- what did you call it? Prioritizing.”

“You’re doing a good job,” she breathed, arching her body toward him.

“Another polite comment. You’re much nicer when you’re getting laid.”

“You’re not.”

*******************

A lazy, sensual, and very satisfying half hour later, Rafael had to get up to go to work. He wouldn’t let Frankie join him in the shower.

“You’ve done enough damage,” he said sternly. “I’ve had no sleep, and I did about a third of the trial prep I had intended last night. You’re just lucky I’m so good at what I do. Otherwise I’d drag you in front of the judge and make you explain yourself.”

“No problem. She’s a woman. She can see how rico[2] you are. She’ll understand completely.”

He smiled as he leaned over and kissed her. “You’re shameless.”

Frankie just giggled. When he got up and went into the bathroom to shower, she stretched luxuriously and rolled over, asleep before he even got under the spray.

******************

He was fully dressed as he leaned over the bed and kissed her awake. She groaned.

“Don’t answer the door. I’ll call and check on you as often as I can.”

“Kick that defense attorney’s ass,” she muttered.

“Already in process,” he grinned, giving her another quick kiss before standing up and moving toward the door.

“Barba,” Frankie called. He turned back toward her, hovering in the doorway. She was a gorgeous mess – hair comb long since fallen out, leaving her long, black tresses to spread across his pillows, sleepy eyes sparkling but half-open, lying tangled in a sea of hopelessly disordered bedding – and he felt a physical pang of desire to dive back in with her.

“Thank you. For letting me stay here,” she said softly.

“You’re welcome.”

He hesitated. They both wanted to say more, to discuss what had happened between them, but neither knew yet what they wanted to say. They settled for smiling at one another before he turned and left for court.

********************

Barba had been right. Even the defense attorney had to admit that Barba had the trial won. During the first recess of the day, after Barba had annihilated the defense’s expert psychiatric witness using the questions Dr. Rojas had helped him prepare, the defendant had accepted a very satisfactory plea deal. Which meant that, only a few hours later, Rafael was able to call it a day. He had more work to do than he could possibly handle, and could have made a good dent using the extra time the plea deal had provided, but he uncharacteristically allowed his second-chair to wrap up the paperwork on the trial and called Carmen to say he wouldn’t be coming back to the office. Alone at her desk, Carmen indulged in a facial expression that clearly showed her intrigue at this news.

*****************

“It’s just me, Señorita Fresa,[3]” he called as he let himself into his apartment.

Since he had texted to warn her he was coming home, Frankie wasn’t frightened by Rafael’s entrance. He was taken aback, however, to see her, sitting in a reading chair with the sun streaming in the window making her look like she was aglow. Her hair was down around her shoulders, ruler-straight and gleaming, and her face was radiantly beautiful without a touch of makeup. His royal blue zip-up sweatshirt was huge on her, as were his jogging pants, which she’d had to roll up to be able to walk in them. She was about a third of the way through ‘Slaughterhouse Five’, one of Rafael’s favorites.

“What did you call me?” She tilted her head with a fake frown.

“Sorry. Doctor Fresa,” he corrected.

She shook her head, laying it back against the soft cushion of the deep, fluffy armchair she sat in. “You realize that’s an insult,” she said, grinning.

Rafael walked over to her, sitting on the ottoman where she rested her bare feet and leaning toward her, putting a hand on the chair back above her and the other around her waist and pulling her to him. He kissed her for a long time.

“I don’t know why you’d think so,” he said matter-of-factly. “Strawberries are beautiful.” He kissed her again. “They’re shapely.” This kiss lasted longer, and involved some tongue. “And they’re delicious.”

His hands were all over underneath the sweatshirt she wore, and she moved her body to make sure he had plenty of room to touch her anywhere he chose. When she could speak, she asked breathlessly, “What am I going to do with you?”

“I’ve thought of nothing else all morning,” he responded, and she put down her book and followed as he led her to his bedroom.

**********************

For the rest of the day, neither SVU nor FBI made any progress with the Pattern 20 rapist or finding either the tweaker kid or Alan Canady. In the evening, Rafael emerged, yawning, from taking a few hours’ nap while Frankie continued reading her book. Wearing nothing but sleep pants, his hair adorably askew, he padded to his kitchen. He was delighted to find hot, fresh coffee waiting for him, without having had to make it himself.

Frankie grinned at him as he stumbled into his living room, coffee in hand, to flop down on his couch.

“How’s the book?” He asked.

“It’s yours, and it’s dog-eared. I’m assuming you’ve read it.”

“I was asking how you like it.”

“Actually, I’ve read it before, too. At the risk of the inevitable mocking I’ll receive from you, I still don’t get it, even on the third reading.”

“I’d like to mock you about that, and I would…”

“Of course you would.”

“Except I find it a little difficult, too.”

“No kidding. That’s quite an admission, coming from you.”

“Mmmmmm. I’m sleep-deprived, undercaffeinated, and hungry. Only explanation for such a moment of vulnerability.”

“Well, today is your lucky day.”

“How so?”

“I’m hungry, too, and you happen to have the makings for Tacos al Pastor. I’m curious as to why, exactly, you have a pineapple, but you do, and I’m a great cook.”

“Can I help?”

“You can hang out and talk to me. Or just sit there looking like that. That works for me, too.”

“I’m told I’m rico.”

All Frankie could do was shake her head at that on her way into the kitchen.

****************************

“How hard is it to get a sample of someone’s DNA if you think they’ve committed a crime?” Frankie asked, seemingly at random, while slicing the pineapple half an hour later.

Rafael, sitting at his kitchen table sipping his second cup of coffee, watched her thoughtfully. “Depends on why you think they’ve committed a crime.”

“Well, that’s the thing. It’s just a theory. But it makes sense, if you know the suspect.”

“Not gonna happen. You need more than ‘it could be this person’. You need to ‘proffer a good faith factual predicate sufficient for a court to draw an inference that specifically identified materials are reasonably likely to contain information that has the potential to be both relevant and inculpatory.’"

Frankie stopped cutting and looked at Rafael. “Shit, Barba. That was hot.”

“Really? That works for you? Because I can recite the standard for a 440 motion for ineffective assistance of counsel, too.”

“Before you do that, you’re gonna need sustenance. Because I can’t be responsible for my reaction.”

“Do you want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

“Uh… sex. That was innuendo.”

“Smartass. You know what I mean.”

“OK, so I’ve been trying to figure out where the tweaker kid comes in. Who is he? How does he know Alan? And what does fencing items stolen from rape victims have to do with Alan?”

“And your theory is?”

“Well, brace yourself, because it’s going to sound a little far-fetched. But not if you know Alan. So, Alan knows what I do for a living, and he knows I work with sexual assault victims. Somehow he finds out I’m in New York, and he looks at FBI recruitments online, which anyone can do. What if Alan raped those women, in hopes it would lead him to me?”

“Francisca, mi fresa, you’re right. That’s far-fetched. Very far-fetched. New York is huge. The FBI and NYPD are huge.”

“Yes, but the intersection between the two, with respect to sex crimes, isn’t.”

“And how does that connect Alan and the tweaker kid?”

“So if my theory is correct, then someone has to commit a sex crime. Alan’s on board to hurt and humiliate any number of women, but he’s not going down for a felony. So what he does is, he commits the sex crime, steals valuables from his victims, and hires the tweaker kid to get caught trying to fence them.”

“Why’s the tweaker kid going to do that?”

“Seriously? You need to hang out with more addicts, Barba. They’ll do anything for drug money. The kid gets arrested, looks to see if he can find any trace of me at SVU, gets paid either way but more if he finds me.”

“But he goes to jail.”

“For a day. He gets bail, which Alan pays, then he skips, never to be heard from again.”

“Until Alan needs him to torch your car.”

“Which he’s perfectly happy to do for more drug money. Doesn’t even have to go to jail this time.”

“I don’t know…”

“OK, I’m not asking you to accept my theory. What I’m asking is, would it be enough for a judge to let us DNA-test Alan against the rape victims?”

“Not even close. Sorry.”

Frankie scowled as she went back to cutting the pineapple. “What would you need?”

“Something tying the suspect to the crimes. A confession. A fingerprint. A piece of physical evidence. Defensive wounds consistent with the victim’s story.”

“Shit. We have none of that.”

“No, we don’t. We can at least share your theory with Porter and SVU. But I have to tell you, it sounds pretty wacky to me.”

“Not to me. And not to Porter.”

**********************************

Amanda Rollins took Frankie to her apartment the following afternoon to get some clothes and other necessities. It felt really strange to Frankie to be wearing a bulletproof vest, and increased her sense of being in danger. Even though Amanda was there to ensure her safety, she hurried to pack as quickly as she could, and was relieved when they were back in the squad car, pulling away from Frankie’s building.

“Can we make a stop on the way to where we’re going?” Frankie asked, as casually as she could.

“Sure. Where?”

“Patsy’s cupcakes.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Because you’re about to find out that I’m staying at Barba’s apartment.”

Amanda’s eyes went wide. “OH.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

“Well, um… Huh.”

“What? You’re the one who said he’s not the guy he seems like at first, and that he’s hot.”

“All of which is true. I stand by it. But listen, Frankie, I… I like you. I think we’re gonna be friends. So I’m gonna tell you something, with the full understanding that I like Barba, and he’s my friend, too. OK?”

“OK.”

“He’s kinda got a… reputation.”

“What kind of reputation?”

“He goes out with a lot of women.”

Frankie laughed. “OK, so he’s a slut. Consider me warned. What makes you think I’m not an even bigger slut?”

“Maybe you are. I just thought, being new in town, you might want to know not to get too attached. Because he doesn’t.”

“Well, thanks, Amanda. I appreciate the heads up. I’ll guard my heart, although I don’t think it’s in too much danger.”

Amanda frowned through the windshield. “Did I cross the line? I apologize if I offended you.”

“Not at all! I like you, too, and I’d like us to be friends. I think we are already. If the situation was reversed, I’d make sure you knew what you were getting into, too. Speaking of which, now that we’ve established that we’re friends and I’m a slut, tell me about your love life.”

Frankie was more bothered by what Amanda had said than she let on. Not that she had feelings for Barba. Of course she didn’t. Her concern was that, in the hormone-drunk frenzy she’d been in since meeting him, she’d completely ignored everything she knew about recreational sex. She knew never, ever to have unprotected sex. Ever. Sure, Barba had been reckless enough to take her hurried word for the fact that she didn’t have any diseases and was on the pill, but that was Barba’s problem. She hadn’t even asked him. That bothered her for a host of reasons, especially now, being told that he slept around. Well, she needed a doctor in New York anyway. She made a mental note to get one and get tested as soon as possible. And if she and Barba were going to be having more sex – and there was no doubt that she and Barba were going to be having more sex – they were definitely using condoms from now on. She frowned. Maybe it was a mistake staying with him. But she told herself that it was safer than staying at a public hotel.

*******************************

Amanda had also taken Frankie by the grocery, so that when Rafael returned to his apartment that evening, he was met with rich cooking smells that drew him into his kitchen. Frankie, in faded jeans and a ribbed turtleneck with one of his aprons covering most of her, was stirring some kind of rice dish that looked complicated.

“That smells wonderful,” Rafael smiled. “What’s in it?”

“I could tell you,” she answered, “But then I’d have to turn you over to the Federales. Mexican state secret.”

“You’re American.”

“Yes, but my mother wasn’t. A Mexican citizen can legally pass this recipe down to her children, but that’s as far as it goes. I’m terribly sorry, but it’s in Chapter 18 of the Mexican Civil Code.”

“It is not.”

“What an ego. You don’t know what is or isn’t in Chapter 18 of the Mexican Civil Code.”

“Pretty sure your mother’s recipe for arroz con pollo[4] isn’t in there.”

“I didn’t say it was. I said-“

That was as far as she got before their lips met and she didn’t say anything more for a long while. When they broke the long string of kisses to catch their breath, he was pressing her against the counter and they were moving together.

“I could definitely get used to coming home to you,” Rafael said without thinking. He could feel Frankie react to that, but she simply laughed.

“It’s not usually like this, believe me. It’s just that, I tried to work today but I’m more distracted than I thought. So I decided to cook, instead. It’s relaxing. Usually, with me you get leftover takeout.”

“That’s a food group around here.”

After a dinner of savory, spicy arroz, Rafael excused himself to take a shower while Frankie did the dishes. It wasn’t long, however, before she joined him under the steamy water, playful and audacious. Rafael found himself holding onto the shower head and the handle of the built-in soap dish to keep upright as she drove him to distraction with her mouth. He wasn’t entirely sure how she was managing to breathe down there with the water running, but he trusted her to complain if that was a problem.

Later, as she lay sprawled across his bed with him half covering her legs while he rested from reciprocating her favor, she asked him whether he’d spoken to SVU or Agent Porter about her theory that Alan might be the rapist.

“I met with them today.”

“And?”

“This is what you want to talk about right this minute?”

She snorted a short laugh. “I suppose my timing is somewhat poor. But it’s on my mind.”

Rafael crawled back up the bed and laid down next to her, putting an arm around her as she curled up against him. “It would be. Sorry. They… think it’s an interesting theory. They’re going to let me know as soon as they come up with anything they think I can use to get a warrant, but I don’t think you should hold your breath.”

Frankie sighed. “It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed these last few days being your kept woman, but I’m about ten minutes from stir crazy. I can’t just sit here and wait for Alan to come for me.”

“No one’s asking you to. They’re working on it. Anyway, I’m not complaining.”

“You’re not, are you? I hardly recognize you.”

“And here I thought we’d turned a corner, you and me. Turns out you’re still obnoxious.”

Her body moved delightfully against his as she chuckled. “Maybe. But you like me.”

“I do not. I tolerate you because it turns out you’re a hell of a cook. It’s you who likes me.”

“No, I don’t. I will admit, I am pleasantly surprised to find that you are… not entirely without your charms. And if I must hide, here with you is preferable to a Turkish prison. But I still think you’re arrogant and… have other undesirable qualities that escape my mind right now because you’re distracting me with your fingers.”

“You find this distracting, do you?”

“Very.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“Oh, hell, no.”

***********************

The following day, Mike Dodds got a call about a sexual assault in progress in Chelsea. The witness who reported it had asked for “Sergeant Dodds from SVU” in particular, which was very strange, but he and Olivia Benson were rolling anyway. They figured that the uniforms would get there before they could, but SVU would be among the fist on the scene, so hopefully they wouldn’t muck up the evidence too much before they got there. In one of those rare, strange New York City coincidences, SVU and the uniformed patrol officers arrived on scene at the same time.

Tearing up the stairs to the fourth floor of the cheap motel, Dodds in the lead, the SVU detectives pulled their weapons and told the uniforms to stay back. That was why Mike Dodds and Olivia Benson were the first two people through the door, and the ones who saw Dr. Francisca Rojas, covered in blood, kneeling over a man’s body with her hand on the handle of a knife plunged into his chest. She looked up as they approached the open door, horror-stricken expressions on all of their faces.

“I didn’t do this,” she said, holding up both hands, from which blood was dripping freely.

[1] Shut up

[2] Literally means “delicious”, Cuban slang for a hot guy

[3] See definition in Chapter 2

[4] Rice with chicken

#law & order svu #law & order: special victims unit #rafael barba #raul esparza #fin tutuola #olivia benson #law & order SVU Agent Dean Porter #mike dodds #sonny carisi #amanda rollins

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ontherockswithsalt · 6 years ago

Text

A Made Man

/1/ /2/ /3/ /4/ /5/ /6/ /7/ /8/ /9/ /10/ /11/ /12/ /13/ /14/ /15/ /16/ /17/ /18/ /19/ /20/ /21/ /22/ /23/ /24/ /25/ /26/

A/N: It’s soft, it’s Christmas time. It’s Jamie and Noble opening presents on the phone together because why not? Thank you to @cards-onthetable whose idea it was for Jamie to include a gift for Bianca. I hope this eases your mouth pain even for a moment.

Chapter 27.

“I’m gonna be pissed if it’s broken. Is it broken?” I wonder, propping the phone between my ear and shoulder as I drag a retractable blade across the top of the box that I had come home to the day before.

“I don’t know,” Noble chuckles. “I can only see something sitting propped up against my door. I just pulled in the driveway. Don’t open yours yet!”

“Alright.” My shoulders lift and I leave the box there on my coffee table without peering inside. “I’m excited, okay?”

“Were you the kind of kid who tore through like, five presents on Christmas morning before anyone realized you weren’t waiting for everyone else to take turns?”

I grin, pacing over to the living room window. “No. Are you kidding? That was Danny.”

“Oh, right right,” Noble muses. “Then you probably took the longest because you’d open one thing and be immediately obsessed with it, reading the instructions or whatever and couldn’t bring yourself to move on to the next one.”

“What is this analysis of my personality? I thought you were just using me for my body.”

“For the most part I am. But then I went and fell in love with you.”

“Rookie mistake,” I mutter. “And yes, that’s exactly how I was.”

“Alright, there’s a box,” he lists. “And then another like, big rectangle thing here from you.”

“Okay, I just hope the rectangle thing’s not broken.”

“We’ll find out.” He manages and I can hear him move to get everything inside the house.

A few weeks ago, Noble and I had briefly considered not exchanging gifts for Christmas. The oh no, I don’t need anything excuses didn’t last long, though once the season really hit and we both just sort of gave in to the temptation. Usually gift buying stresses me out. It’s too much pressure. My rational conscious always overanalyzes whether something is practical or necessary, or something they already have, or something they wouldn’t use, and it takes the fun out of the whole process. But this year, I couldn’t help but get excited. Figuring out something Noble would like was fun for me and it had been a long time since I’d put that much sentimental effort into getting a gift for someone.

Once I found out he was going on vacation over the holiday, I scrambled to get everything shipped in time for him to open it before he left.

“So am I opening yours, or are you opening mine first?” He wonders, then decides, “Open one of mine.”

Amused, I make my way back over to the coffee table and assess the contents of the large box he sent, pulling out the brown packing paper. “Okay, I’m opening the big one.” Inside are three wrapped gifts and a card. “And I'm putting you on speaker.”

Sitting on the couch, I pull the wide, shallow gift box onto my lap and begin to tear off its pine green paper. I take off the lid, move aside the tissue paper and find a black canvas, almost tactical looking backpack. “Oh sweet.”

“Is that the backpack?”

“Yeah man.”

“I thought it'd be good for all that weekend traveling.”

“To visit my side-piece poolboy? It's perfect.”

“Hey, it's lawnboy not poolboy. There's a difference,” he corrects. “And I'm making a mental note because side-piece lawnboy is definitely some role play I'm down for.”

“Yeah, same here,” I muse while I inspect the zippered pockets. “Hey believe it or not, the backpack I've been using I've had since college so--”

“Oh I'm in total shock, sweetheart,” he deadpans.

I have to laugh. “But this one is way better. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

“Open one from me,” I instruct. “And there’s one in there for Bianca. Just… if you want to give that to her when you see her.”

He utters this rumbling “Aww--”

“Yeah, yeah,” I sigh.

“That’ll mean a lot. That’s sweet.”

“It’s like an etched, stemless wine glass and I put a bunch of red Starburst in it, so--”

“God,” he exhales, almost miffed. “You little shit. You’re gonna make me have feelings for you.”

I smirk. “Hopefully that one didn’t break either.”

“And hey, she drinks wine out of a coffee mug, so that’ll be a definite upgrade. She'll love it. I’ll make sure she gets it before we head to the airport tomorrow.”

“Alright, good. Now open one of yours. The big rectangle.”

“You mean the broken one?”

I panic. “It's broken?”

With a soft chuckle he assures me, “I'm kidding. No I don't think so.” Then I hear him go to work pulling off the paper until it's quiet for a second.

“Oh hey now--” He starts. “It's your neighborhood. Did you take this picture?”

“Yes.”

“And you had it framed. Dude, this is dope,” he raves in almost this sing-song. “I love it so much.”

“Good.” I sit back on my couch and think about the photograph, blown up to sixteen-by-twenty, that I thought would make a cool print for his house. “A little Brooklyn for you down in Miami.”

“Well when I really need some Brooklyn down in Miami, I'll get your ass a plane ticket.”

“Since you can't hang my ass up in your living room, that might be a better alternative.”

“Look at you,” he muses. “With the photography skills. I love that street, by the way. Damn, that's some homesick shit I wasn't ready for.”

The historic district where I live, with all it's charming pre-war rowhouses and quiet streets, looks good captured in black and white. Down my block, it's only a short walk to the promenade that stretches along the East River where we had roamed around a little one morning the last time he was here.

“Your turn,” Noble speaks up. “Open another one.”

“There's a card here--”

“No-no-no, open that later. Don't open that on the phone with me. It's gross.”

With a pleased little smile, looking forward to reading that on my own, I set the sealed envelope aside. “Mmkay. I'll do this medium-sized one.”

“Don't give me a hard time about it,” he warns. “I think I have a firm grasp on what kind of nerd you are but--”

“Hey,” I groan in protest as I tear open the package. “You got a complaint?”

“No, you didn't hear me complain--”

“Oh good because I was about to tell you where you can put it.”

“You can always tell me where to put it, Jamie.”

Tilting my head back, I dig my teeth into my bottom lip and take a moment to appreciate him. “Are you really about to leave the country for five days? Because I… miss you in such a dumbass way.”

His laugh through the phone makes me smile as I finish pulling off the paper. “I miss you regardless.”

“Yeah but you'll be off swimming with dolphins and snorkeling or whatever and too busy to remember me suffering in this city at Christmas time.”

He scoffs. “Oh please. Don't you know me at all? I'll be day drinking and taking naps on the beach.”

“Strangely, that's a hotter visual for me,” I reason. “Okay I'm opening this. Let's see what kind of nerd you think I am.” Tearing open the package, I inspect the rattling box, my eyebrows lifting eagerly. “A wooden fractal puzzle? Hell yes, bro.”

On the other end of the line, he cracks up. “That thing looks like torture, so if you want nothing to do with it, I understand--”

“No way, man. I'm gonna do it right now.” After I pull off the plastic wrapping, I examine the intricately cut geometric looking design on the lid.

“If nothing else, it'll look cool on your coffee table.”

“I really do like it though,” I decide.

“Well good.”

“Now do the bigger one from me.”

“Alright,” he agrees.

“You’re gonna give me shit about this one,” I preface while I hear him tear the paper. “But I know you don’t have one and I’m kind of upset about it.”

After a moment, he laughs. “You got me a flashlight.” He states it with amusement more than curiosity.

“Because you’ve said before you don’t even have one. Which I can’t believe considering you live in a damn hurricane capital--”

“And you sent batteries with it!” Then he groans, “Ugh, you’re cute.”

“I’m prepared.”

“This is a pretty badass Maglite, though.”

“There’s more,” I tell him.

“Oh my god,” he mutters as I hear him shift around the paper inside the box to find it. “Is this a fucking Swiss Army knife?” And then he cackles one of his loud laughs that triggers one of mine.

“Hey, you needed one of those too!”

“Oh, who’s gonna fuck with me now?” He teases.

“Nobody when you’re carrying that piece.”

“I’ve never had one of these,” he says and I can tell he’s inspecting it. “Shit, this thing’s kind of intense. Out on the town and need a screwdriver? Check. Carving wood on the go? Check.”

“You can gut a fish with it,” I suggest.

“With a blade like that? Good lord,” he laughs.

“I'm just saying you could. If you had to.”

“You fucking savage,” he murmurs and the low note in that accusation makes my lips twitch. “I’ll leave that to you when we up and move to the frontier.”

I glance down with a satisfied smile. “Mmkay. Well we've got a flashlight and a puzzle. So let's go.”

“The last present for you is very important, then,” he notes. “It'll come in handy when we’re in the wilderness.”

“Oh jeez.” I take out the remaining package from him. Pulling off the paper reveals a black and red metal canister with little silver hearts all over it. “Sexy Truth or Dare?” I question him and just hearing me saying it elicits another heavy chuckle from him.

“Hell yeah.”

I shake my head with a laugh as I give it a glance and screw off the top. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You wanna play?”

I consider it. “Next time you’re here, maybe.” My answer is murmured absently since I’ve already started to pull out the flat sticks printed with the various prompts. “If you had to choose between only oral sex or only penetrative sex for the rest of your life,” I recite, “which one would you pick?”

Noble can only answer with a disapproving groan.

I continue, pulling out another one. “What is the largest age gap you’ve had between you and someone you’ve had sex with?”

His next groan is even louder. “Oh shit--”

“Ha!” I cough. “Do you know the last name of everyone you’ve had sex with?”

“Damn!” I can hear the grimace in his voice and it cracks me up. “I feel attacked.”

I let out a weary moan and rub my eyes. “Oh man, I’m gonna get answers to so many things I never wanted to know.”

“Wait, read a dare. I’m way better at those.”

Clearing my throat, I flip the sticks over that I had pulled out. “Do your best to make me orgasm in the next five minutes--”

“Easy. I could do that from here.”

“Mm-hm,” I hum, before I read the next. “Fuck me in a room where we’ve never had sex before.”

“Oh-ho! Now we’re talking.”

“That’s hard. I don’t have many rooms.”

“Next time you’re here, we’ll go do it at Bianca’s place while she’s at work.”

“Nice.” The I pull out another one. “Wait a minute. Pretend you’re a cop and arrest me for the crime of being too sexy--”

He shouts another laugh. “Yes, please. I’ve always wanted to.”

“We’ll see if I let you.”

Gradually, his amusement tapers off and he lets out a heavy sigh. “Those are hilarious.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty good,” I agree.

“If I come up there and we get snowed in, we can have a game night.”

“I like that.” Clearing away some of the wrapping from my couch, I move to consolidate all the unwrapped gifts on my table.

“Well thank you,” he starts. “For my awesome presents. I love everything.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for mine,” I tell him, getting up to take some of the trash to my kitchen, bringing the phone with me. “You all ready to leave tomorrow?”

“Pretty much. It’s like an hour flight. And then it should be a pretty chill few days.”

“Take lots of pictures.”

“Of me in a lounge chair? Alright I will.”

“I wouldn’t turn those down.” I smile. “But it is Christmas, so I hope you’ll be more generous than that when it comes to the pictures you send me.”

#jamie x noble #festive gift giving joble #this chapter is unnecessary but fun and they have so much love to give

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henry-hart · 7 years ago

Text

“The Spy and the Kid...Spy Kid?” - Chapter 4

Dedicated to: @sunbeameyes @kiwikwami @youngbloodthekilljoy @ramune-ray @up-the-tube @shonashee @lesbian-so-what @an-anxious-gay-mess @writing-excuses @sleepylilsnowflake New additions @alissamikealson @x-cookies-art-x @can-you-believe-it and @periwinklechild because I see you guys on my feed a lot, and I want you to know that I appreciate you. Special mention @coldasalaska because they said THE most wonderful things about this fic and my writing in general, and I want them to know that they are one of the reasons I am smiling on this day. :)))))))

Summary: Jasper’s cousin, Elizabeth, is in town for spring break, but Henry suspects trouble when she arrives just a new, unnamed villain begins terrorizing Swellview.

Warning: Minor cursing (really minor)

A/N: Right off the bat, I want to say that this chapter is long, but I’m not apologizing for that anymore (I’m not being snappy of mad or short--just matter of fact. :)). That’s just the way I write, and I hope you can all see it as getting more content and see it as a good thing. :))))))) Now to the notes about this chapter. It’s a bit--emotional. That last chapter was more action and this is more of a chance to say “okay, but what does it mean? What are the emotional or mental repercussions?” I’M BEING 100% SERIOUS WHEN I SAY THAT THIS IS THE CHAPTER WHERE LIZ SEES JASPER AND FINALLY MEETS CHARLOTTE. LIKE, IT’S FOR SURE HAPPENING. THE CHAPTER IS WRITTEN, AND I CAN SAY THAT IT IS FACT. (sorry for all the caps. I’ve just been waiting for the moment Char x Liz meet, and I’m sure you all have too.) I hope you enjoy, and feel free to comment what you thought, good or bad!!!! xoxoxo

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

“Henry! Hen-ry!” Ms. Shapen bellowed.

Henry, who had fallen asleep at his desk, jumped straight up, nearly falling out of his seat in the process. His teacher’s loud voice reverberated in his skull like a train whistle, loud and piercing, taking over all other senses, pulling him out of unconsciousness with the speed of that same locomotive. He was disoriented for a minute, having been ripped out of his nap. Everything around him seemed muted and far away in the way that all things are after waking up--like they exist on a different plane.

Henry looked around and saw that the classroom was empty save for Ms. Shapen, Charlotte, Jasper, and himself.

“Is class over?” He asked, rubbing the warm sleep from his face.

“Well, duh,” Ms. Shapen snapped, leaning towards him with her hands on her hips. “You’d know that if you hadn’t slept through the entire thing.”

Henry grabbed his book bag off the floor--he hadn’t even taken anything out of it--and stood up. “I’m sorry, Ms. Shapen. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Ms. Shapen just stared at him, unimpressed. “You think you’re the first teenager to give me that crap?”

“Well, no, I was just--”

“Just get out of my face already. I just got a week off from all of you, and you’re ruining it.”

Henry didn’t say anything back. He just nodded and left to join his friends who were waiting for him by the door. The trio started for the front doors of the school.

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked, studying the red sleep lines all over Henry’s right cheek from where his skin had been pressed to his sleeve.

Henry stifled a yawn. “Yeah, why?”

Charlotte quirked an eyebrow. “Well, for one, you’re wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday.” She reached out for one side of his flannel and shook it, drawing attention to the wrinkles for emphasis.

Henry looked down at his shirt, taking into account for the first time that day just how unkempt he looked. He imagined his hair and face weren’t looking too hot either.

“I had a long day yesterday.” He said, not feeling like going into details while at school. He scratched at the red bump on his neck (turns out that it was a bug that had bit him last night in the park--he woke up this morning with a mark much like a mosquito bite that itched just as much). “Ray will fill you in later.” He muttered.

Sleep hadn’t improved his disposition; he was still bitter about being told to stay out of things for the day.

Charlotte eyed Henry, trying to figure out why he seemed so irritated. She knew that he had been through a lot yesterday--she had been working too when he and Ray went out after Donnie and Hyde in the park--but Henry had left work more defeated rather than angry. What else had happened last night?

Jasper was also worried about Henry. Long forgotten was their quarrel, and Jasper woke up today with his friendship with Henry still intact and happy to see his cousin. After all, she had been in town for an entire day, and he had yet to see her, but any thoughts of Liz went to the back of his mind when he saw that there was something going on with his friend--something that dimmed Henry’s eyes and made his shoulders droop.

Jasper picked up on what Henry had said last. “What do you mean Ray will fill us in? Aren’t you going to work?”

Henry turned away from his friends, ashamed. “No, I’m not.” Before either of them could ask why, Henry held a hand up. “Like I said, Ray can fill you in later.”

Charlotte didn’t like letting the subject go, but she didn’t want to press Henry anymore than he already was. “Okay, yeah. We’ll ask Ray.” She agreed, continuing to watch him even as Jasper changed the subject.

“Do you think you could bring Liz by the shop then?” Jasper blurted, barely containing his excitement. He realized then how rude it came across and immediately backtracked. “I mean, only if you want to, of course. I can always stop by your house after work, if it’s too much trouble.”

Henry managed a small smile despite how down he was feeling. “No, man, it’s okay.” He understood how much Liz being here meant to Jasper. “My mom kind of kidnapped her for the day, but I promise I’ll bring her by the store when she’s done.” Henry recalled how Liz had fared with his parents the first night they met her, and he hoped today with his mom had been much better for her. Thinking back to dinner, he also remembered that he owed Jasper a piece of his mind. He turned to give his friend a pointed look. “Thanks for the heads up about Liz’ parents, by the way.”

Jasper looked away from Henry. “I was wondering if that would come up.” He muttered.

Henry scoffed. “It didn’t just come up. It was practically the first thing my parents pulled out of her at dinner.”

Jasper’s mouth fell open, hardly believing he was being chastised for not mentioning that family members of his have died. “Well, it’s not like I want to talk about my aunt and uncle’s death.” He retaliated.

Henry went silent, feeling a little awkward for not thinking of the connection to Jasper. He sighed, dragging a hand down his face, trying to get his brain back to functioning normally. “I’m sorry man. I just knew my parents were gonna be nosy, and I wanted to save Liz the embarrassment.”

Jasper nodded, understanding that his friend’s intentions had been good. Jasper wasn’t still affected by his aunt and uncle’s death, but it did send a painful pang through his chest to think of them, despite not ever being close to them. He could understand how it would make for an uncomfortable topic around the table. He gave Henry a meaningful smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Liz wasn’t too shaken up.”

Henry shook his head. “No, she said it was okay, that it’d been awhile ago.” He gave a quiet chuckle. “She let my parents off way too easy.”

Charlotte had no real idea what either of them were talking about, but she was intuitive enough to pick up on the gist of the conversation and decided a subject change was in order. “What do you mean your mom kidnapped her?”

Henry, glad for the change in topic, sighed, but it was a good-natured one. “You know how my mom is with guests.” He began. “Well, I think Liz being a girl makes it worse. Mom’s flight got cancelled because of the weather, so she has the day off. When Piper and I left for school, she had Liz baking cookies with her.”

Charlotte and Jasper laughed.

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Charlotte commented as they walked out of the front doors to head to Henry’s car.

Henry shrugged. “I guess not. I just don’t know how much Liz enjoys baking and all that.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and hit the unlock button. Headlights flashed across the parking lot through the rain.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Jasper dismissed with another laugh (they came easy now that they weren’t talking about his deceased aunt and uncle). “Liz is cool like that. She’s always thinking of other people.” He snapped his fingers as a memory came to him. “When we were younger, she used to go to bucket conventions with me even if it meant missing her inventor’s conventions.”

Charlotte perked up at this. “Did you say inventor’s conventions?” She was already excited to meet Jasper’s cousin, being the only person in the group who hadn’t, but if Liz was a female inventor like her, then Charlotte needed to meet her now.

Jasper nodded, a wide, proud smile breaking out across his face. “Yeah. Liz is crazy smart. She made a robot that could open soda cans when she was like six. I swear she’s gonna win the Nobel prize or something some day.”

Henry noticed how his friend’s whole face lit up when he spoke about his cousin, and Charlotte looked just as animated. Henry understood how they felt; even after only knowing her for a day, Henry thought that Liz was pretty cool too.

He was also glad that he didn’t have to fix anything with Jasper; they were still best friends with none of the hostility Henry had worried was there.

“I’m gonna bring the car around.” He said, breaking up their conversation about the many things Liz and Charlotte have created.

Jasper looked all around them, resting his eyes on Henry last, “No Piper?” He fought back a smile.

Henry shook his head. “No, she’s going to a friend’s house or something, so I’m driving.”

Charlotte and Jasper exchanged looks of relief. They wouldn’t have to worry about Piper’s crazy driving, which was an even greater relief considering it was raining. That was a combination that had the both of them feeling anxious all day, but it wasn’t a problem anymore.

Henry moved out from the cover of the rain and walked--he saw the Mythbusters episode that proved running in the rain doesn’t help--to his car, hands shoved deep in his pockets, shoulders hunched up high, and face downcast to avoid getting rain in his eyes. The heavy pounded down on him anyway, soaking his flannel and drenching his hair, but the rain was warm--cooler than the air but still warm. It provided more of a relief from the heat rather than an annoyance.

He opened his door, not minding that he was going to get his seat all wet, got in, started the car, and drove to pick his friends up form the front of the school.

The ride was quiet; both Charlotte, sitting in the passenger seat, and Jasper, sitting in the back, knew that Henry wasn’t overjoyed about not going in for work today. Whatever had made Ray give Henry the day off, it was obvious their friend wasn’t happy about it, so they left him alone to his thoughts rather than force him to engage in conversation.

When he dropped them off at Junk ‘n Stuff, he didn’t even bother getting out of the car.

He rode silently home, alone, accompanied only by the sound of the heavy sheets of rain sloshing off his windshield with each swipe of the wipers.

-----------

Henry grabbed a piece of leftover pizza out of the fridge, not even bothering to heat it up in the microwave, and made his way to the couch. It was his day off, even if he wasn’t too happy about it, and he had just got off of school for a week; he wasn’t required to do much of anything, so it looked like he and the couch were going to be very well acquainted for the time being.

He had spent the whole hour that he was home aimlessly going through his phone, scrolling through pictures, checking social media. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking at; his brain was on autopilot. He was going through the motions without putting any real thought behind them. He was feeling listless which was partly due to the stormy weather and partly due to the fact that he was home right now instead of at work, helping the others solve the big mystery they were all facing.

A little part of him was scared that, because he wasn’t there, they’d figure it out without him and prove once and for all that he really is useless. Ray can’t be hurt. Charlotte is a genius. Schwoz creates all their technology, and Jasper watches the store. Henry’s just a sidekick. How much did they really need him? Did they need him at all, or was he just a setback? Could Ray have stopped Donnie and Hyde if Henry were out of the picture? Maybe Ray had really sent Henry home not so that he could rest but so that he was out of the way, so that the others could work without being bothered by someone who’s just a sidekick.

Henry couldn’t take his own thoughts anymore. He was starting to spiral out of control in a dark cloud of insecurity and anxiety. He had to find something to distract him because he needed to get out of his own head. His phone wasn’t cutting it.

He grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV. His parents must’ve been watching last because it was left on the news channel. Henry decided he’d leave it. He didn’t have the energy to flip through channels until he found something interesting to watch. The latest season of Dog Judge had ended, and he didn’t have any other show he was really invested in. There was never really anything good on anyway.

The news did have a tendency to depress him considering they don’t exactly report on the positive goings-ons in town, but he was in one of those sad moods when watching something else sad just seemed to be the way to go.

“So, Mary, what does the weather look like for Swellview?” Trent Overunder, one of the news anchors, asked.

The camera panned to the blonde news anchorwoman, Mary Gaperman. “It’s raining, Trent.” She smiled brightly into the camera.

The camera moved back to Trent. “We can see that, Mary.” He looked at the camera with a helpless expression. “I meant what does the weather look like for the next couple of days.”

She smiled again. “It’s still raining,Trent.”

Trent sighed, muttering just loud enough for the viewers to hear, “Okay, I expect nothing, and yet I’m still disappointed.”

Henry muted the TV then, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the male news anchor. Mary tried her best, but it’s not like she could do much working next to someone like Trent Overunder who took every available chance to cut her down.

I get it, Mary. It sucks being the sidekick, he thought.

He took a bite of his cold pizza, watching the muted people on screen talking and moving about. Henry kept his mind busy trying to read everyone’s lips. They flashed to the meteorologist who gestured to a map of Swellview that showed a large storm front moving over the town. It was followed by another large storm.

Swellview wouldn’t be getting a break from the rain anytime soon, Henry thought. He found the perpetual rain was pretty fitting, considering the way he was feeling. There was a metaphorical cloud over his head. Might as well be a real one too.

“I guess news anchors are bogus everywhere.” Henry heard from right behind him.

He jumped, choking on the pizza he was eating, and turned to see who was standing behind the couch. His thoughts were so loud, he hadn’t even heard Liz come down the stairs.

Liz gave him a wide-eyed look, surprised that she had startled him so badly.

Henry swallowed his food, cleared his throat, and nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” He gestured to the TV. “I’m not a big fan of that Trent guy.”

Liz made her way around the couch, standing near the edge closest to the kitchen, moving away so as not to scare Henry again.

Henry took note of the fact that her long, brown hair was dry for the first time since he’d met her. It was a pretty, deep shade of brown--like raw umber--and fell in waves down to her elbows. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a cropped and worn black shirt that said “I heart science” but the heart was an atom with particles swirling around it (Henry was proud of himself for knowing that considering he wasn’t the smartest person around). He remembered how Jasper had said she was really smart, and her shirt made a small smile tug at the corners of his lips.

Now that it wasn’t wet or up in a bun, Henry realized Liz’ long hair was almost identical to that of the girl he’d fought last night. He couldn’t not see the resemblance now, and it didn’t help that Liz was wearing all black too.

He pushed any similarities he thought he found to the back of his mind, chalking it all up to being just a reaction from all the stress he was under. Liz couldn’t possibly be any more different from this new villain. She was likable, easy to be around, grounded. Hair color didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t substantial evidence to base any kind of assumption on; it was pure coincidence.

Henry dismissed the notion entirely. He couldn’t trust any connections he found; he wasn’t thinking properly. His brain was desperately searching for answers where there weren’t any, taking whatever he could get as explanation, and Liz had fallen victim to his mad need to understand what was happening. He’d apologize to her for even thinking it, but she wouldn’t understand what he was talking about. He decided to just let it go.

He gestured for Liz to sit next to him, and she did.

Liz sat down on the couch and looked at the TV, watching Trent’s mouth move wordlessly. “I don’t blame you. That guy’s a real jerk.” She heard, from the top of the stairs, him talking to the female anchor and didn’t like what he had said. It sounded like a lot of misogynistic condescension to her. She was glad Henry muted it.

It took Henry a moment to remember what they were even talking about. The news. News anchors. Trent Overunder. It was coming back to him now.

“What about the ones where you’re from? Are the anchors there jerks too?” He found himself stepping right back into the conversation with little effort, and he gave Liz credit for that.

Conversation came easy with her. She was easy to talk to, and Henry liked talking to her. He didn’t feel like there was anything he had to do or be--there wasn’t some expectation he had to live up to. He could just talk. It was like a breath of fresh air, being there with her, not feeling like there was something he owed her or she owed him. That was something he desperately needed today.

Liz shook her head. “No, not really. There is this one guy who makes horrible puns though--and they’re always at the worst times too.” She tilted her head to the side, tapping a finger on her chin. “Oh, and the meteorologist never points to the right part of the map.”

Henry laughed, and Liz joined him, liking how, with Henry, things didn’t have to be serious. Her job had pretty much always been her life. From about the time she was thirteen to now at seventeen, she had been all about business. She put childish things away for the sake of her job, to be fully committed to her work as her aunt and uncle wished, and she had sacrificed much in the process. Hanging out with friends, having fun, being a normal teenager--she didn’t know what any of those things were. Talking with Henry was about the closest she’d ever come to any of that, she thought, and despite being on the job--a job that had consumed the past four years of her life--she found herself enjoying it.

She looked over at Henry once their laughter had died down--really looked--and noticed his appearance: wrinkled clothes, tired eyes, and disheveled hair. He looked awful, like he’d really had a rough go of it, and Liz felt her heart clench.

Last night, Liz had seen the extent of Henry’s caring nature, and it had derailed her. She was supposed to get in and get out, to only use the Hart house as a means to be on location, but Henry--and the rest of his family, really--was complicating that.

Having only known her for one day, he had kept himself up, worried sick about her well-being, instead of sleeping. When she’d made it back to the house, unharmed and having just finished a job she could never tell him about, Henry had looked so relieved, so happy, to see that she was okay and unharmed. She wasn’t expecting it. She hadn’t known how to react. It was alien to her that this boy, who was only one step away from stranger, had valued her safety so much. It was a real testament to Henry’s character. There wasn’t a doubt in Liz’ mind; Henry was an incredible guy.

She went to sleep last night with a warm internal feeling, like she’d had a shot of alcohol and it’s effects were buzzing through her veins, letting her know she was alive. Despite not knowing what it meant or what it felt like to have a friend, Liz imagined it was something like that.

Henry’s sincerity and concern had touched her, and she wanted to reciprocate some of that back to him. She may be a hard worker, but she was still a person, a person with integrity. She could manage this act of kindness without throwing her whole mission out the window. She could allow herself to have this small taste of normal teenage friendship.

Opting for distraction to help Henry feel better--she had no other real option considering she didn’t know what was bothering him--Liz decided to focus on anything but Henry’s appearance. She saw the plate in his lap, taking note of what he was eating.

“So it’s a cold pizza kind of day, huh.” She reasoned, knowing that anyone who didn’t take the time to heat up their pizza was going through a hard time.

Henry chuckled dryly, thinking that was an understatement. “It’s a cold pizza kind of day.” He agreed. He realized it was rude to eat in front of guests. “I can get you some. I can actually microwave yours.” He added as an afterthought.

Liz shook her head with a smile. “That’s alright. Your Mom and I made cookies earlier.” She put a hand over her stomach. “A girl can only eat so much.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “I hope she didn’t guilt you into cooking with her.”

Liz made a “please” face. “Your mom didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do. ”

Henry sat up a little, thinking cookies sounded like a good idea, a silver lining to this dreary day. “Are there any left?”

Liz bit her bottom lip. “We may or may not have eaten them all.”

Henry raised his eyebrows, surprised that two of them had finished off a whole batch of cookies by themselves, but he wasn’t mad. It was hard to be mad around Liz. She just radiated positive energy. Henry wondered if she knew she was such a light.

He then realized, after talking about her so much, that his mom wasn’t anywhere around, and Liz had come from upstairs not the kitchen. A horrible thought crossed his mind.

He set his pizza down, staring straight ahead. “Mom didn’t show you any embarrassing family albums, did she?” He asked in a slow voice, grimacing as he predicted what Liz’ next answer was most likely going to be.

Liz smirked, knowing exactly which photos he meant. “Depends on what you consider embarrassing.”

Henry burned bright red. “Oh god,” he moaned.

His mother had a habit of showing people who came over to their house the Hart family album. Not only did Henry find it a little awkward that his mom shoved photos of their personal family memories into stranger’s faces, but there were pictures that Henry had trouble looking at himself. For instance, the ever classic “let’s put our naked children together in a tub and take pictures” pictures that parents always insist on taking. Henry had been about five and Piper was only a baby, but they were still naked and the people looking at them were still strangers.

There was little he considered more uncomfortable than people he didn’t know seeing him as a naked baby. It was worse when they looked at him now, a fully clothed teenager, and he just knew they were thinking about how they had seen him in all his chubby, naked glory. Just knowing they had that knowledge made Henry’s skin crawl.

Liz laughed a light, bubbly laugh at the redness of Henry’s cheeks. “Don’t worry, Henry. You were a cute baby.”

Henry’s face burned hotter. “I’m gonna kill her.” He grumbled, turning away from Liz to salvage the little bit of dignity he still had.

Liz tilted her head, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “I like your mom. She’s sweet.” She decided for a subject change, not wanting to make Henry any more uncomfortable than he already was. She had succeeded in her plan to take his mind off whatever was bugging him, though, and silently celebrated in the way Henry’s shoulders picked up ever so slightly. “She calls me ‘sweetheart’ a lot. I like that.”

Liz didn’t get much maternal attention at home, so it was nice to be in a house hold with a family whose mother was warm and loving for a change. She hadn’t intended on finding a family like the Hart’s when she took this job, but she was glad that she had. Even if she had come into town for her work and she wouldn’t be with the Hart’s past this one week, she appreciated that she got to experience a familial unit like theirs at all.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Liz played with the frayed strands on the knees of her black jeans, trying not to feel guilty for enjoying the civilian side of this job, while Henry ate his pizza, finding a small bit of joy in the reprieve Liz had given him from his gloomy mood. They both watched the silent TV as the news went on break and a commercial for Fred Lobster came on.

Liz noticed the girl sitting in the back of the restaurant looked familiar. Her eyes widened. “Is that--”

“Piper, yeah.” Henry answered. He took the TV off mute so they could hear it. “It sucks that she’s not here right now. It seems like every time she goes to watch the commercial, the news cuts in.”

Immediately after he finished talking, the news cut in to give an emergency announcement.

“This just in, flash flood warnings have been issued for the following areas.” Trent stated in that voice that only people on the news seem to have. He paused for a moment before saying, “Swellview. That’s it.” He held a finger to his ear and spoke again. “I’m receiving word that we can’t only talk about Swellview--even though we’re the Swellview news--so Mary will be reading off the less important surrounding areas that also have flash flood warnings.”

When the camera was off him and on Mary, Henry and Liz heard Trent say under his breath, “What, do they not have their own news channels?”

They looked at each other and shared an eye roll.

Henry was about to mute the TV again when the topic changed to one that made his stomach drop.

“Last night, well known criminal duo Donnie and Hyde reportedly broke into Schneider’s Bakery.” Trent said. His brows pulled together as he read more of the report. “We’re told Captain Man and Kid Danger answered the call to stop the thieves, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful. Donnie and Hyde managed to escape, and what they were doing at the bakery remains a mystery.” He looked down at the paper in front of him. “I am told that a delivery truck went missing. The contents are unknown.”

The camera moved to Mary. “Some reports have come in of a possible accomplice to the two criminals: an unknown girl wearing all black. She also escaped with the criminals.”

“She is suspected to be working with the notorious thieves, so if you see any sign of them, you are urged to contact the police. Or the Captain Man hotline, though I’m not sure what more they’ll be able to do.” He muttered that last bit.

Henry sank lower into his seat, feeling worse. Even the news was mocking him.

Liz was sitting next to him, however, straight as a metal rod. She was hardly even blinking. Her heart had stopped the second the female news anchorwoman had mentioned the accomplice.

How do they know about me?

There wasn’t anyone else around besides Liz, Donnie and Hyde, their henchmen, and the meddlesome superheroes. That was it. Liz had made sure of it. How had the news found out about her then?

Liz knew she would be given hell by her boss the moment he caught wind of this. She had been sloppy. Somehow there had been a mole, someone who leaked her presence here in Swellview, and somehow the news had gotten word of her. First Captain Man and Kid Danger had almost derailed the entire operation, and now whoever watched the evening news would be aware of her existence.

No. No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening.

Things like this never happen to Liz. She’s too good.

It was those damned thieves’ fault. Donnie and Hyde were a joke, and she had been cursed the moment she had been assigned to work with them. Somehow, she just knew, they were responsible for this.

Henry cast a glance in Liz’ direction, taking note of how still and silent she had gotten. She had gone white, like she was suddenly sick. She looked about as bad as Henry felt.

“You okay?” He asked.

Liz jolted out of her thoughts, realizing she was still sitting next to Henry--someone who wouldn’t know why the news had affected her so. She shook her head, giving him a fake reassuring smile--something she was good at. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She gestured to the TV. “It just sucks that Captain Man and Kid Danger couldn’t stop those two.”

Just like that, she had her true feelings tucked away somewhere Henry would never be able to see them. She was an expert at compartmentalizing. Right now wasn’t the time to freak out about the repercussions she would face in her work from this news report. Right now she needed to be Liz, the regular citizen.

Henry cringed ever so slightly. “Yeah, it really sucks.” He couldn't help the personal contempt that bled into his voice. The news was broadcasting his epic failure to all of Swellview and only further driving in the nail that he and Ray were no closer to stopping whatever was going on. He wasn’t as good at keeping his emotions in check.

Henry wondered if Ray, back at work where Henry wanted to be, had seen the news report. He wondered if he was feeling as bad as Henry was. He wondered if Ray was feeling the same anxiousness he was feeling, an anxiousness that had him on the edge of his seat, impatient with his own ignorance to what was going on.

He wanted to believe Ray was in the same boat, but Ray hadn’t been sent home. Ray hadn’t been sidelined. Ray wasn’t the sidekick. He was the superhero.

Henry’s anger flared. His balled his hands into fists on top of his legs. He watched the news continue on, but he wasn’t hearing any of it. He wasn’t even really seeing any of it. All he could think about was the fact that he was here, in his house, on his couch, watching TV, while Donnie and Clyde and the new girl were out there, doing whatever they pleased, reveling in the fact that Kid Danger couldn’t stop them.

Henry felt a nerve twitch under his eye. He couldn’t just sit here; it would drive him mad. He had to get out of his house. He had to do something. He had to stop Donnie and Hyde and their boss and fix everything he had let fall apart. He couldn’t sit here, like some dejected puppy with its tail between its legs, letting everyone else fix something he had messed up. He had to prove himself. He had to prove that he wasn’t just a sidekick. He was going to stop those criminals if he had to do it himself.

He knew he was being irrational, but that’s the thing about emotions; they aren’t rational, and it was only going to get worse the longer he sat with only his thoughts to keep him company. Liz was a nice reprieve, but even her attractive personality couldn’t keep Henry from himself. The only way he was going to get any semblance of peace of mind is if he went down to the Man Cave and did his part--what little part that is. He had to get to the store and talk to Ray, make him hear him and let Henry help.

He just needed a reason to be there on his day off.

He remembered that Jasper had asked him to bring Liz by, so he decided to use that to his advantage as well as reuniting Jasper and Liz because that mattered to him as well.

He was still Henry, after all. Sure, he was in the midst of a crisis, but he hadn’t lost his softness completely. He still cared for others.

That was probably why he was having such a hard time with all that was happening; he cared too much. He cared too much what would happen to his friends and family and the people of Swellview if he let criminals do as they pleased. He took whatever happened to his town personal as he was someone sworn to protect it.

And he hadn’t done a very good job.

He jumped up from the couch, surprising Liz. “Jasper asked if I could bring you by our work today. You wanna go?” He was already moving towards the door, not waiting to hear her response and also not giving her a chance to say no--not that he thought she would. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket and grabbed a rain jacket, ready to walk out the door.

Liz stared at Henry for a moment, surprised by his sudden burst of energy. Seconds ago, he had been slumped and still, and now he was up and moving. Liz watched him, noticing he couldn’t seem to stop moving. He was swirling his car keys, fidgeting with his hands, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Liz didn’t understand it, but she did like the idea of seeing Jasper; so, she went along with it, figuring a drive would be much better for Henry than moping on the couch.

She also wanted something good to happen to her before she got the inevitable phone call from her boss, berating her for letting things go so poorly last night.

“Sure,” she hesitated, a little afraid Henry’s mood and energy levels would suddenly shift again. “That sounds great.”

She made her way over to Henry, grabbed the rain jacket he held out to her, and let him open the door for her. She found it sweet that he had, in the midst of his anxiousness to leave, taken the time to practice manners.

They didn’t have an umbrella--they were only walking down the driveway--so once they were out from under the cover of the porch, the unrelenting rain poured down on them. Liz was glad for the rain coat because it kept most of her clothing dry. She couldn’t say the same for her tennis shoes. They were splashing through puddles as she walked, soaking the material all the way to her socks. She was inconvenienced, but it didn’t get her down. She was going to see Jasper; there was little that could dampen the spring in her step now.

She hadn’t given herself time to really think about it, having jumped right into her mission the second she arrived in town, but she had really, really missed her cousin. Her heart was beating with the force of a drum, anxiously anticipating when she’d get to see him again in person. It had been close to ten years since she’d seen him last. She had no idea what to expect, but she hoped that time and distance hadn’t changed their relationship. Hidden in her excitement to see him, there was a small sliver of fear that made her think what if it has changed? What if he’s changed? I’ve changed, so how can I expect him to be the same person?

She remained quiet the whole ride, nervously chewing the inside of her lip, feeling her stomach twist itself into knots of uncertainty. Apparently there was something that could bring her down--her own mind. If she let it, her own doubts would ruin the one thing she had to look forward to today.

Henry didn’t sit still at all the whole ride there; he was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and shifting around in his seat. He was antsy, impatient, on edge. He didn’t like how irritable he was. He didn’t like what yesterday’s events had turned him into--a mess of emotions, most of them being destructive.

He was hoping--praying--that there was good news waiting for him at the store.

He hated to think what would become of him if he didn’t start seeing something in the way of getting to the bottom of whatever sinister plot the criminals had in the works for Swellview.

----------

“Schwoz, can’t you stop what you’re doing for five minutes to listen to me?” Ray demanded, appalled that Schwoz wouldn’t even hear him out.

The little man had been running around the Man Cave all day, working on something that he wouldn’t tell anyone about. He just darted around, picking up various mechanical parts and tools, muttering engineering nonsense to himself that probably only Charlotte could understand. Now, when Ray needed to tell him about his dwindling powers--an incredibly important phenomena--he wouldn’t even give him the time of day.

“I can’t talk right now!” Schwoz snapped back, never looking away from tinkering with whatever device he was creating.

Ray’s jaw dropped. “Schwoz, we’re talking about my superpower, here. You know, the very thing that makes me a super-hero?” He moved to stand in front of Schwoz, aggravated that he wouldn’t even look up at him. “Hello? Schwoz?” He waved a hand in front of his face.

Schwoz flinched away as Ray’s waving hand distracted him, and he crossed the wrong wires, making sparks fly out all over his work table. He put down his tools, taking in a deep breath. “Ray, what I’m working on has to do with your superpower.” He picked up a soldering iron, melding two plates of metal together. “And Henry’s,” he mumbled, focusing back on his work.

Ray leaned away from Schwoz, eyeing him carefully. “How did you know about Henry’s powers? I haven’t told you about that yet. I haven’t even told you about me yet.” What did Schwoz know that he didn’t?

Schwoz tried his hardest to keep from looking at Ray, to keep from revealing what he had surmised about the events yesterday and the hero’s superpowers. In truth, he wasn’t completely sure about his hunch. He wouldn’t be until his device was finished, and for that to happen, he couldn’t be distracted. He needed complete concentration to make sure something this important was done right. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

The elevator beeped across the room, and Charlotte and Jasper walked into the Man Cave. They noticed Ray’s obvious distress, added it to the state Henry had been in, and concluded that something very bad and very serious had happened yesterday.

“Ray,” Charlotte began, deciding it was time for Ray to fill them in, as Henry had put it. “What’s going on? I saw a news report about Donnie and Hyde at a bakery?”

“Yeah,” Jasper added. “And Henry was acting weird today. He said you’d tell us about it?”

Ray was glad his call in to the news had worked. If people knew to look out for Donnie and Hyde and their new accomplice or boss or whatever she was, then maybe that would get the criminals scared. Maybe they’d think twice before making another serious move.

Further thought made Ray realize that maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to alert the town. Now the criminals knew to be careful, and that could prove to be a very bad thing for the superheroes.

But he couldn’t worry about that now. He other pressing issues.

“How is Henry?” He asked, concerned for the state of his sidekick. He hadn’t looked too good last night, and Ray was troubled thinking sleeping on it hadn’t done any good for the boy.

Charlotte shrugged, her eyebrows pulling down in concern. “Like Jasper said, he was acting weird.”

Ray looked back to Schwoz and sighed. He really didn’t feel like running through everything that was going wrong for him, but maybe repeating it all out loud, all at one time, would help him to see a pattern or a connection or anything, really.

“It’s a long story,” he started, taking a seat on the revolving couch. “But it starts when Henry and I answered a video call from Donnie and Hyde...”

----------

“Hello?” Henry called out in the store. “Jasper, you here?” He held the door open for Liz so she could step inside and out of the rain.

Liz made her way around Henry and stopped short when she saw the store. When Jasper had told her he worked at a place called “Junk ‘n Stuff,” she had pictured something more like an antique shop but with none of the class. She was not expecting such a colorful, eclectic clutter of some of the strangest and yet most interesting things she’d ever seen.

A dinosaur head on the wall opened its mouth and shot out a stream of fire.

“What the hell?” Liz gasped, amazed.

Henry looked at her, taking note of the excited look on her face. Her eyes were wide and bright, like a fascinated little kid. He was wound pretty tight from the car ride over here, but he still managed a small laugh.

“Pretty strange, huh?”

Liz nodded slowly, spinning around to get a full few of the place. “I’ll say.” She walked away from Henry to see more of the items up close.

“I’m gonna go find Jasper.”

Liz absently waved a hand in his direction to acknowledge that she’d heard him. Her attention was solely focused on one of the random pieces of junk in the store.

Henry gave her one more look, smiling in amusement at how mesmerized she seemed to be before heading to the counter where he knew there was a button that would alert the Man Cave that he was up here.

Liz continued her prowl around the store, picking up things at random, looking at them up close, and laughing when they did the last thing she’d expect. For instance, she grabbed an odd hand device that was sitting on its wrist with the palm facing up like it was waiting for someone to put something in it. Liz examined it, trying to discover if there was some hidden purpose to the item. She found small holes at the tips of all the fingers save for the thumb. She gave an unexpected cry of delight when she pressed the pad of the thumb and bubbles shot out from the holes of all the other fingers.

She surprised herself with the sound and quickly covered her mouth with her free hand, almost as if she had done something wrong. She wasn’t one for squealing and rarely did she come across something that gave her just instant, childlike delight.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever seen.” She laughed to herself. She had invented devices that could deconstruct and then reconstruct items on a molecular level, yet she was the most mesmerized with this weird bubble blowing contraption.

She wondered if Henry would let her buy it.

She heard him approach her.

"Are you okay?" He asked having heard her yelp.

She didn't look up from the hand as she responded. "Yeah, I'm good. I just really love this thing." She turned to show Henry, but stopped short when she saw who he was with.

She nearly dropped the bubble blower.

"Hey, Lizzie," Jasper breathed, fighting back a smile but failing miserably.

It'd been years since he had last seen his cousin, and so many emotions were rushing through him now that she was there in front of him. Words wouldn’t come, but he knew there wasn’t enough anyway, not for what he wanted to say to her. Even if he could’ve managed to get something out, it wouldn’t do what he was feeling justice. He didn’t know what to do except smile. Nothing else felt right.

Liz was overrun with the same rush of emotions, but she was more a girl of action than words anyway, so she did more than smile.

She practically shoved Henry out of the way to tackle her cousin in a bone-crushing hug.

Liz couldn't keep rigid or impassive now. Her job, that whole side of her, was gone. She was too elated to be anything but the little seven year old girl she was when she saw him last. Jasper was the most important person in her life. He was the only real family she had--at least, the only family that actually felt like family. Not even her job could come before him.

She knew that once the initial shock was over and they saw the end to this day, she would be back to putting her mission first, but for now, she had this moment, and neither work nor her boss could touch it. She wouldn’t let them.

Her boss could chew her out and her mission could commandeer her life when Jasper wasn’t around.

She pulled away from him after an immeasurable amount of time (it could've been ten seconds or ten minutes--she couldn't tell) and kept her grip on his arms, taking another moment to study him, to soak in just how much he'd grown.

"God, look at you." She marveled wondering how this tall teenager could be the little kid from her memories. "You're so....grown up."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I could say the same thing to you. Since when do you have two front teeth?"

Liz laughed, remembering how she had knocked one her baby front teeth out trying to do a flip on her bike when she was seven. "For about ten years now, I guess."

They were both quiet for a moment, letting it sink in just how long it had been. It hit both of them now, now that they were right in front of each other and seeing the changes the years had made, like taking a bowling ball to the gut.

"It's really been ten years." Jasper remarked, his tone breathy in disbelief. He noticed Lizzie’s blue eyes were glistening. He had only ever seen her cry once--at his aunt and uncle’s funeral--so he didn’t bring any attention to it, knowing she wouldn’t like it if he did.

Besides, to call her out would be to call himself out because he felt moisture pricking at the corners of his own eyes.

"Yeah," Liz whispered, thinking about how much she'd changed. She had a whole life she could never tell Jasper about. She was hardly the same girl he once knew. A lump formed in her throat. "It has." She managed to choke out.

Henry, feeling like he was intruding on an important, intimate family moment, cleared his throat.

“I'm gonna give you guys some privacy and go find Ray."

Jasper looked away from Lizzie to give Henry a concerned look. Ray had finished telling Jasper and Charlotte the story of yesterday not five minutes ago, and he was worried for his friend. He also knew Ray didn't have any good news to give Henry, and he didn't want to see him take anymore mental or emotional hits.

"Uh, be careful, okay?"

Henry frowned. "What do you mean?"

“Just, Ray told us about yesterday, and I don't want you to be upset if you don't hear what you want to hear."

Henry's expression hardened. Anger flashed through his eyes. He didn’t want Jasper to think he was mad at him, so he opted for saying nothing and left the two of them to go meet Ray. He tried his hardest not to linger on Jasper’s warning, not to let it get to him. There could still be good news.

He had to believe that.

“Is Ray your boss?” Liz asked once they were alone.

Jasper looked back to her now that Henry was gone. “Yeah, he is.” He tried not to let Lizzie see how concerned he was for Henry, but ten years had apparently changed little between them; she could still tell when something was bothering him.

She set the hand device down. “What’s wrong?” She looked to the direction Henry had disappeared to. “What was going on with Henry? He seemed...off today.”

Jasper shook his head in disbelief. “You always were really perceptive, even as a kid.”

Liz shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a gift.” She gave a smile but quickly snapped her brows together in a serious expression. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

“Always so bossy.”

“Jasper.”

“And there’s the ‘get off my bike before I pummel you’ voice.” He noted, moving to take a seat behind the counter. “Have you met Henry’s little sister Piper? Because the resemblance is uncanny.”

Liz smiled, liking that she had the same fire she saw in Piper. “I have met her, and I think she’s awesome.” She could tell Jasper was going to interrupt--probably to refute what she’d said about Piper--so she held a hand up. “I also think you’re trying to change the subject.” She eyed him pointedly but softened her voice. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”

Jasper sighed. He’d have to tell her something, but he didn’t know what. He did know that he wasn’t very good at on the spot thinking though. Lizzie was tough and smart; she’d be able to see straight through him if he wasn’t careful.

He fiddled with one of the items for sale on the counter, avoiding her gaze knowing that if he maintained eye contact with her, his eyes would betray him. “Henry just had a rough day at work yesterday.”

Liz looked around the empty store and then back to her cousin, both eyebrows lifted. “Rough?” She gestured behind her. “There’s no one here.”

“Oh, well, yesterday there was a...a...a,” he scanned the room helplessly, hoping to find inspiration somewhere. “There was a--a woman.” He sputtered. “Yeah, a woman came into to the store making all kinds of accusations against Henry.”

“Accusations,” Liz repeated, not really believing Jasper. She knew well enough to know when he was lying, but she didn’t push him for the truth. If Jasper considered it important enough to lie to her, then she would have to respect his decision. “What kind of accusations?”

Jasper pursed his lips. “Just that he wasn’t doing his job and was being rude to her.”

“Rude? Henry?” Liz knew this woman wasn’t real and there weren’t any accusations, but she still had a hard time accepting “Henry” and “rude” in the same sentence. “I admittedly don’t really know him, but even I can say that Henry is the farthest thing from rude.”

“Uh, yeah, I--I know.” Jasper answered quickly, relieved she was buying his story. “That’s why Hen was so shaken up about it.” He thought of Henry down in the Man Cave with Ray. “He was worried she’d file a complaint and get him fired or something. He probably went to ask Ray about it just now.”

Liz nodded, leading Jasper to believe he’d done well in spinning some completely bogus tale. She knew his concern was real though. Something had happened to Henry yesterday. Liz could tell that much just by taking one look at her cousin’s sullen face.

She didn’t want this moment to be a sad one though, and like with Henry, she wanted to get Jasper’s mind of his troubles, so she backed away from the counter and back to where she’d set the bubble blower down. “How much is this?”

Jasper could tell she was purposefully changing the subject, but he was glad for it. Lizzie had always been incredibly insightful when it came to other people’s feelings, and he knew she was able to discern that he didn’t want to talk about yesterday’s events any longer.

He waved a hand in the air. “It’s free. Consider it a perk of having a family member who knows the boss.”

Liz’ nose crinkled, not liking his suggestion. She was already reaching in her back pocket for her phone (she had money in a little stick-on pouch on the back of it). “I can’t just not pay for it.” She looked around the store again. “You guys don’t seem to get too much traffic in here, so I think you could use the business.” She found a sticker on the bottom of the hand that labeled the price as ten dollars. She pulled a ten from the back of her phone and handed it to Jasper. She grabbed her bubble blower. “Souvenir,” she said holding it up for him to see.

Jasper took her ten with a pout. “I could’ve made you take it for free.” He handed her a bag.

“No you couldn’t have.” She stated simply taking the bag from him. She looked up at him once the item was in the bag and smiled, her eyes teasing. “But thank you anyway.”

Jasper’s face eased into one of contentment, not able to stay even slightly annoyed at her. He loved and missed her too much.

Liz crossed her arms and leaned them on the counter. “So, where’s this Charlotte I’ve heard so much about? I want to meet her.” She’d heard some pretty impressive things about her cousin’s other best friend, and she wanted to meet the girl who belonged to all the remarkable stories. She sounded like someone Liz would be able to get on with like a house on fire.

“She’s down--I mean, she’s in the back.” Jasper recovered. He didn’t like that he had to lie to Lizzie so much, but it was an occupational hazard when your best friend and boss were both superheroes.

“This place has a back?” Liz questioned, doubting that the small building had enough room to have a back.

“Yeah, it’s just where we keep the inventory.”

“There’s more of this stuff?” She jerked her head at a nearby stand with some items whose purpose not even Jasper knew. “Where does your boss find it all?”

Jasper pulled his lips in. He was precariously close to being caught in his lie. He also didn’t know how to answer her question. He wasn’t sure where Ray got all his weird store items. “I don’t know where the stuff comes from, actually. I just know that Charlotte is back there, and now I will...go get her for you. Stay here.” He held his hands out in front of him like he was instructing a dog to stay.

Liz narrowed her eyes into slits, not liking his tone but also suspicious. Jasper seemed more nervous than she remembered. Whatever he was lying about had obviously really gotten to him.

Jasper, satisfied that Lizzie wouldn’t follow him, disappeared to the back so he could call Charlotte.

He was excited to introduce her to his cousin, but he was also thinking she could use a break from all the tension and stressful atmosphere in the Man Cave. Lizzie would provide a nice break from the doom and gloom they were all facing in the workplace today.

He also believed they would be great friends; the two were so very similar.

He dialed Charlotte’s number, fingers crossed hoping things weren’t going too badly beneath him.

-----------

“So you’ve found out nothing?” Henry accused, shaking his head in disbelief. A sardonic laugh fell through his lips. “That’s just great.”

“We’re not too happy about it either, kid.” Ray said, trying to keep the anger and annoyance out of his own voice.

Henry had come downstairs looking for answers Ray couldn’t give him, and when he didn’t hear what he wanted, the kid had exploded. Ray wanted to cut in to point out that he hadn’t had the best day today either, what with Schwoz keeping mum about whatever he knew and the fact that they hadn’t taken any steps closer to finding anything out, but he couldn’t berate the kid, not with how terrible Henry was looking.

Ray noticed he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday; it was obvious he had slept in them by all the wrinkles. The dark bags that had worried Ray hadn’t gone away in the slightest. He suspected Henry hadn’t slept too well with so much on his mind, and his shortness with everyone was another indicator. Ray worried for what this meant for the both of them if Henry continued to obsess over this job, continued to deny himself sleep and proper health for the sake of getting to the bottom of things. He wouldn’t be able to take him out in the field. He couldn’t rely on Henry to make the right decision, not when he his judgement was so clouded.

Ray was also wary of telling Henry to stay away from work for another day because that obviously didn’t sit well with the kid.

So Ray had reached an impasse. The only thing he was sure of was that he wasn’t going to reprimand Henry for being snappy or brash.

“Then what have you been doing all day?” Henry snapped. He hadn’t meant to be so short with everyone, but once his hopes of hearing good news had been crushed, he couldn’t really help it. “I mean, you’ve obviously haven’t been finding any answers, so what was your time spent doing?” He whipped around to Charlotte, eyes wide and mad with desperation. “Please tell me you’ve found something, Char--anything.” His voice cracked, the hopelessness he was feeling leaking into his voice, flooding the anger out.

Charlotte watched Henry with sad eyes. She couldn’t bear to see him so deflated, but she didn’t have anything uplifting to tell him.

“No, I don’t.” She whispered, looking away from her friend, not allowing herself to see how he took it. “I’ve watched the videos a million times, but whoever this girl is, she’s good. I can’t find anyway to identify her.”

Henry dropped down heavily onto the rotating couch. He had no energy left. Whatever little bit he managed to muster up on the drive over here had been sapped as soon as Ray informed him that there wasn’t any progress.

He scratched at the bump on his neck.

“So that was a bug bite after all?” Charlotte asked, gesturing to Henry’s neck.

“Yeah,” Henry muttered, dejected, before laying back on the couch. “Turns out that was nothing too.”

Ray and Charlotte shared similar miserable expressions. Henry’s hopelessness was infecting them.

Charlotte’s phone buzzed in her back pocket. She really didn’t feel like spending the energy talking to anyone right now, but she read Jasper’s name as the caller ID and answered.

“Yeah,” she sighed.

Jasper obviously picked up on her tone. “Woah. That bad, huh?”

Charlotte looked over at Henry, who had both arms crossed over his face. “That bad.” She confirmed. “Why the call?”

“I know this isn’t the best timing, but my cousin is here. She really wants to meet you.”

Charlotte closed her eyes and dropped her head into one hand. “Does it have to be right now, Jasper? I’m not sure I can make a good first impression right now.”

“Lizzie is really incredible, Char. It’s not gonna matter to her.”

Charlotte wanted to do as Henry had done, lay down and wallow in the futility of it all, but she knew that wasn’t healthy. Nothing good ever came from focusing on how bad a situation was. She was an inventor, a scientist. There were no bad situations--just an opportunity for improvement.

She stood up from her seat. “Yeah, Jasper. I’ll be up there in a minute.”

“Great!” He replied. “And thank you, Charlotte. Really. This means a lot to me.”

Charlotte managed a half smile. “I know.”

She hung up and slipped her phone back in her pocket. “I’m going upstairs to meet Jasper’s cousin.” She was talking to Ray but looking at Henry. “Do you want to come with?”

Ray was looking at Henry too, but he felt a lot like Charlotte, that sitting down here focusing on all that was going wrong wasn’t going to help anyone. Maybe meeting a new face would be a nice change of pace for them all.

“Yeah, sure. Maybe she got lucky and isn’t too much like Jasper.” Ray answered, trying to be light.

Charlotte scoffed. “They are related, you know.”

“That’s why I said maybe she got lucky.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes, but in truth, she appreciated Ray’s attempt at acting like things were normal. She turned to the sulking boy. “You coming Hen?”

Henry wanted to be like his friends. He wanted to be able to just refocus his attention on something positive, but he’d already done that, and the positive had quickly switched to negative. He couldn’t take another hit like that. He figured it was safest to just expect the worst, that way he wouldn’t be surprised when things went to hell.

And, on the off chance that something actually did turn out well for all of them, then it would be a pleasant surprise.

He took his arms off his face and slowly sat up. “Yeah, whatever.” He droned in a dull monotone.

Another look was shared between Ray and Charlotte, but they said nothing as the three of them filed into the elevator and headed for the store.

Schwoz walked out of hiding then, a pained expression on his face. He didn’t like seeing everyone in such low spirits--especially Henry. The boy was usually very lively, hardly letting anything get him down, but now he acting like someone had snuffed his inner spark.

Schwoz couldn’t tell them now. He couldn’t drop another heavy load on them while they were already trying to stand up after the last one. He would continue to do as he had done yesterday: quietly work on his theory and pray to anyone who would listen that it all worked out.

He hated to think what would become of all of them if it didn’t.

-----------

“You already know Henry. This is my boss, Ray.”

Ray gave Liz a little wave. “Nice to meet you. Henry--I mean Jasper--has told me a lot about you.” He hoped she hadn’t caught on to his faux pas. In truth, he had heard more about this girl from Henry than from Jasper. Last night, she was practically all the kid could talk about, but that wasn’t something she could know.

Liz nodded at Ray. “Nice to meet you, too. I know how much this job means to Jasper, so thank you for hiring him.”

Ray was struck by the girl’s sincerity. He hadn’t expected a thank you from her, of all things. He gave a shaky smile, not sure how to react.

“And this is the genius herself, the mastermind, the one and only, the Charlotte.” Jasper announced, pushing Charlotte forward past Ray and Henry and towards Lizzie.

“Thank you, Jasper, for that totally modest introduction.” Charlotte deadpanned, obvious sarcasm in her voice. She turned to Liz and managed a friendly smile despite how much she really didn’t feel like smiling. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Jasper hasn’t stopped talking about you.”

“Likewise,” Liz said, taking notice of how Charlotte’s eyes didn’t match her smile. They all had similar sadness behind their eyes, so whatever had happened, it apparently had happened to all of them. “I hear you’re a regular Marie Curie.”

Charlotte lifted her chin, respecting Liz’ choice to name a female scientist. She definitely liked this girl. “I could say the same thing to you.”

Jasper was beaming watching the two of them. He was so ecstatic to see them getting on just as well as he predicted that he was practically shaking from excitement.

“Did you know Charlotte invented a device that could turn sound into energy?” He blurted, not waiting for the two of them to get on the topic of their inventions on their own. “Ooh, and Lizzie invented a self-purposing coffee machine that ran on its own coffee grounds!”

Liz and Charlotte looked at each other and laughed, finding Jasper’s eagerness amusing.

“Thanks, J, but, uh, I think we’ve got it from here.” Liz reasoned gently, wanting to have a chance to have a real conversation with Charlotte, just the two of them.

She was a little bummed that she couldn’t reveal some of her best work to her fellow inventor, but those inventions were made for her job. She’d have to miss out on this opportunity to get a scientist’s as well as an engineer’s perspective on her projects.

“Oh, but there’s also this one time when we were kids and Lizzie--”

“Jasper,” Charlotte cut in. “It’s really not necessary for you to--”

“And Charlotte made a device once that could--”

“Jasper, shut up!” Both girls yelled at the same time. The turned to each other and laughed, both thinking the same thing as well.

This girl is definitely best friend material.

It was a thought that felt bittersweet to the both of them.

Charlotte was regretful because she knew Liz would be gone, back to California, in a week. She was also facing a very serious problem with Ray and Henry and Donnie and Hyde and this Mystery Girl, so she wasn’t sure now was the best time to make another friend. She wasn’t sure how much of a friend she could be anyway, what with her attention so divided and with so many things to worry about. It hurt to think, but she might have to miss out on an amazing opportunity with Liz to spare Liz the disappointment of not having someone who could commit to a friendship with her.

If only she had met her at a different time.

Liz was feeling very similar but for a very different reason. She had come for a mission. Her boss had warned her not to get to attached, but he was warning her about Jasper. He had no idea that Liz would feel compromised because of Jasper’s two incredible friends.

Here she was, meeting quite possibly the coolest person she’d ever met, and she would have to deny herself the chance for a wonderful friendship.

But that was her job. That was one of the sacrifices she had made: friendship for respect. She had become so good at her job, so dedicated, because she had nothing to distract her. No friends. No real family (Jasper lived on the other side of the country, practically, and a whole decade had passed where she hadn’t seen him once). None of what the four people in front of her had. Whatever she faced, she faced alone. She had no one to bear it with her.

And she had accepted this. She had only been officially working for four years, but four years prior had been spent training, getting her ready for what her life was going to be. She came to just take being alone and shouldering problems alone as a way of life. She wasn’t saying it was easy, but it was just the way it is. She kept her thinking that way, that this was just how things went for her, because it kept her from questioning it. It kept her from rebelling. If she never acknowledged the other side, the other possibilities, than she never worried about what she was missing.

But now she had Jasper and Henry and Charlotte all standing in front of her, all people she knew that if she let herself, she could love all of them. She could know what was causing the pain behind all their eyes and she could help remedy it.

But that wasn’t her life. She wasn’t like them, and she couldn’t let herself even consider the possibility. She had to think of her job only.

She gave Charlotte a tight-lipped smile. “This sound to energy converter sounds radical.”

“I can tell you my thought process, if you’d like?”

Liz had a similar expression to the rest of the room now; dark eyes that exposed the lie of the false smile. “Yeah, definitely. Do you have it with you?”

Charlotte face twisted into a sneer. “No, it was destroyed by some reckless...kid.” She finished, not wanting to reveal Schwoz’ identity.

They walked off talking about science and engineering, using words none of the boys could ever dream of understanding.

During the entirety of their whole conversation, both of them had, nagging in the back of their mind, that whatever bond they were making would have to be fleeting, and it left them both feeling hollow.

-----------

“I’m gonna go to sleep.” Henry announced with little emotion behind his voice once they had gotten back to his house.

Ray, Charlotte, Liz, and Henry had only just managed to placate an upset Jasper who didn’t want to be separated from his cousin with the promise that he could come over for dinner tomorrow. Henry didn’t feel like entertaining company now or tomorrow or anytime in the foreseeable future, but he wouldn’t let himself be selfish like that.

His own problems were not reason enough to be mad at Liz for staying at his house or at Jasper for wanting to spend time with her. It wasn’t their fault he was finding it hard to be optimistic or happy. He would just have to push his internal conflicts down and wait for a time when he was alone to acknowledge them.

Liz nodded, understanding without Henry telling her that he really wanted to be alone. “Yeah, sure. I’ll tell anyone who asks not to disturb you.”

Henry looked to her to see her giving him a warm, understanding smile. His heart clenched, and he had to agree with Jasper.

Liz truly is incredible.

He left her then sitting on the couch in the living room so he could retire to his room. He shut the door, giving people the impression that he didn’t want to be bothered, and flopped on his bed, again not bothering to change his clothes or take off his shoes.

He feel asleep immediately like he had last night, but this time it was more from mental exhaustion rather than physical exhaustion.

He was once again awakened by a knock on his door. He read the time on the alarm clock next to his bed. It was nine o’clock. He’d slept for almost four hours.

Liz must’ve stayed true to her word and kept his parents away because they hadn’t even woken him up for dinner.

But now someone had come knocking on his door.

Henry was still groggy, but sleep had helped his mood the slightest bit. His brain didn’t feel so drained, and therefore wasn’t making anything he did--like getting out of bed--feel like it took maximum effort.

He made his way to his door and opened it, expecting to find his mother coming to check on him. Instead, he found no one.

He was about to just close the door and chalk it all up to his imagination when he looked down and say something on the ground: a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk had been set down for him along with a note.

Henry didn’t have to read it to know who had placed them there.

He picked the plate and glass up, shut the door, set the food on his nightstand, and sat on his bed to read what Liz wrote.

A lump the size of a golf ball lodged itself in his throat as he read the letter.

“’Hey Henry. I felt bad about not having any cookies for you earlier, so I asked your mom if we could bake some more. She was literally jumping up and down while she said yes.’” Henry laughed, picturing his mom doing that very thing, and continued on. “’Anyway, I know you and Jasper and Charlotte and even your boss are going through something rough right now--you most of all. You don’t have to tell me what it is. I don’t need to know. But, I do know that chocolate chip cookies are magical. They make the hard times seem not so bad. (I think it’s the way the chips melt, you know?)’” He smiled at her anecdote. “So, here’s a whole batch, just for you. I don’t know how much it’ll help, but I hope it’s enough to remind you that things do get better...eventually. You just gotta find the melted chips in the cookie of life. God, that was lame. Sorry. Enjoy the cookies. Liz.’”

He held the note for a moment longer, watching as the paper shook as his hands did. He was surprised when he saw a drop of water at the bottom. He knew that wasn’t there before, so he felt his eyes and found that, unknowingly, a few tears had escaped his eyes.

“Thank you, Liz.” He whispered out loud to his empty room.

He knew she couldn’t hear him but still hoped that somehow the sentiment had made its way through his wall and to her room on the other side. He wanted her to know that her act of kindness had struck him hard. It had been the kind of thing he needed, and somehow she had known when even he didn’t know himself. Once again, his horrible day was salvaged because of the character of this one person.

He wasn’t okay, but he was the slightest bit better, and that made the world of a difference.

He took a bite of a cookie, agreeing with Liz.

Chocolate chip cookies were magical.

A/N Part 2: THE ANGST! I KNOW! I LITERALLY CRIED WRITING THAT LAST SCENE. :’(((((( I feel really bad for hitting Henry with all this stress, but at the same time, I love grittier stories. No one is gonna be happy in this fic. But, rest assured, there will be little bits of happiness scattered throughout the chapters (like the chips in the cookies!!!!!! lol), and because they’re going through some heavy stuff, stronger relationships will be made in turn. :)))))) Sorry if this chapter seemed boring. It wasn’t really a filler, but at the same time, it wasn’t full of action. I liked developing Liz x Henry’s relationship more because I’m really liking how it’s playing out so far. They have a LOT more in common than either one thinks, and it makes for an ironic, unintentional bond. They’re accidentally bonding over similar life experiences, and neither one knows. What did you think of Char x Liz??? It was a long time coming. lolol What about that sweet reunion between Jasper x Liz? I felt bad shoving their reunion to the back the last few chapters, but it made the moment more important when it actually did come. What do you think Schwoz knows? How do you think Ray will react when Schwoz finally tells him? What was the mystery contents of the delivery truck? Why were they important to Liz? Where did they get dropped off? Whom did they get dropped off to??? So many questions, so few answers. Next chapter will have another Liz mission, and this time we’ll get a little more insight into what this big “plan” is. Also, Henry will start to get suspicious of Liz, no matter how much he doesn’t want to. It’ll hurt, lads. Don’t expect to be happy either.....muahahahahaha Hope you enjoyed! Hope I kept you entertained, in suspense, and wanting more! Let me know what you thought!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

#glad i finally got this done #i was so busy making all those icons and headers that my writing got pushed to the side #lololol #hope you liked #hope i didn't upset you too much with the emotional turmoil #hope you stick around for more #bc it's only going to get more intense #sorry not sorry #bless all of you #i hope life is treating you well #henry danger #henry danger fanfic #mine #em writes

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agentdagonet · 7 years ago

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Echoes, Ch. 17

Find it here on AO3

Find it here on tumblr: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Fic Summary: Feet dangling off the edge of the bed, hands still resting on the earpieces of his glasses, Eggsy opened his eyes.

And promptly shut them again, screwing them shut like a child who had the distinct misfortune of biting into a raw lemon. Breathing harshly in his nose and out his mouth, trying to stave off whatever delusional panic had befallen him, Eggsy reopened his eyes.

‘Harry?’

Or: The Hologram Story Nobody Asked For

‘So you’re Arthur now?’ Roxanne was texting someone idly on her phone, but glanced up briefly to make sure he’d heard her.

‘So Merlin says, though I’m not entirely certain how that’s going to work. I’ve been out of the loop for nearly a year and the organisation seems to have not suffered from my absence.’ Harry spoke softly trying not to wake Eggsy, who was dozing on and off (he kept jolting awake as if startled, and then pretended not to look at Harry briefly before allowing himself to relax again) across the cabin.

‘The Organisation’s changed a bit since V-Day, but I think it’s in the ways you tried to bring about yourself. I think the Knights who were left decided that, in light of V-Day, you’d been in the right for far longer than they’d like to admit.’ She closed her eyes and frowned to herself, shaking her head slightly before turning to face Harry. ‘I think you’re going to do just fine, Harry. Forceful enslavement or not, you’ve always cared more about the quality of one’s character than the things Kingsman valued under the… previous administration,’ a cough from the cockpit, ‘Merlin excluded.’

‘I meant to ask about that- Merthur?’

‘All Eggsy’s fault; I’m sure you’re quite proud.’ Roxane smiled, a bit of mischief in her eyes- Eggsy had gone unnaturally still, but Harry wasn’t looking at him for the moment.

‘For more reasons than I could rightly list off the top of my head, but causing Merlin headaches? It’s a Galahad tradition now that all his hair is gone.’

‘Which is all your fault, Harry.’ Merlin called back, tossing a wad of paper blindly behind himself and still managing to hit Harry in the leg.

‘I’ve never denied as much, but I will say that it’s lucky that your head is so well shaped. I’ll gladly buy you any wig of your choosing.’ Harry tossed the paper back, but Merlin batted it away single-handed

‘I would immediately break into your house and shave your eyebrows off, followed by a very distinct prick shaved onto the back of your head.’

‘... The fuck did I wake up to?’ Despite not having fully fallen asleep, Eggsy looked adorable dishevelled; hair stuck up on end and shirt askew.

‘Sleeping beauty awakens!’

‘Fuck off, Roxalot, or I’ll tell Merlin what’s missing from the Milwaukee mission.’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Leave me an’ my blackmail in peace, Merthur.’

‘No longer applies, lad; it’s Merlin. Just Merlin, once again; or I’ll sabotage your next batch of lighters.’

‘You wouldn’ dare; replacing me would take way more energy than dealing with me ever could.’

‘Well, at least you didn’t try to claim I held some sort of affection for you.’

‘OI!’

Harry watched the byplay with great interest, and settled back in his seat with a small smile. It was a blessing he never knew to ask for, to see Merlin connected with someone outside of himself. Harry had felt incredibly guilty, imagining a Merlin without him to pull him from his comfortable lab and hidey-hole in the kennels.

He’d have to share those spaces with Eggsy, if he hadn’t found them on his own already. A Galahad’s work is never done.

They eventually made it back to Headquarters, napping intermittently and restlessly, and it wasn’t until they touched down that Harry fully comprehended what had happened. He was back on home soil, with people he hadn’t dared to believe were alive, and he had been established as dead for over a year- he guessed he’d set himself up in the mansion but still-

Where am I going?

‘You’re comin’ home, ain'tcha?’ Harry hadn’t realised that he’d spoken aloud, intending to keep the fact that he hadn’t really thought this endeavour through to himself. Or, perhaps he had but then forgotten, or decided to simply allow the rest of them to figure it out- he was an invalid, after all. Those were all lovely excuses.

‘I couldn’t possibly intrude- you certainly have to have adapted to the space by now, if you’re living at the house.’

‘Harry. Listen. You ain’t intruding- it’s your house, bruv. Yeah, I stay there more often than not, but I-’ Eggsy paused, rubbing the back of his head and looking away. ‘I didn’t really change anythin’ I just kept shit lookin’ nice. And with your weird blue people walkin’ about it felt wrong to not keep it good as I could.’

‘If you’re certain-’

‘Shut up, I’m gettin’ a cab, and we’re going home.’

Harry could pretend not to see Merlin smirking at him from his periphery, but it would be a waste of time- he could already feel the tips of his ears burning and giving him away.

‘Just get Arthur settled and bring him back in one piece, Eggsy.’

‘What if we just left you as Merthur and then Harry and I went out and about as the Galahad Duo?’ Eggsy waggled his eyebrows and pointed some finger guns in Merlin’s direction. Merlin, for his part, simply nodded toward Roxanne- who proceeded to knock Eggsy upside the head with a smirk.

‘Your fantasies have to simply stay that, Eggsy- fantasies. We need an Arthur more than you need a partner in crime to ignore the advice of Merlin and the other Handlers with.’

‘Sometimes their advice is shit and I ain’t letting shit go wrong and hurt people if I can help it. I’m replaceable, I chose this- they didn’t.’ It’s incredibly sobering, for Harry to see Eggsy go from the not-quite-adult he’d taken out of the police station to a man who would sacrifice himself to save another.

Or, more accurately, how sobering it was for Harry to actually see the Eggsy who ended up in lock up in the first place; to see him hold his own and stand firmly in his beliefs. This was why he’d failed the dog test, and Harry’d decided to appreciate it and admire it instead of disparage his values.

But the moment was worrisome, too- to take a stray comment made by another Knight in jest so seriously meant that it was a raw wound- something prodded incessantly by those who ought not to.

‘That’s not the point, Eggsy-’

‘I’ve got to take Harry home- I’ll see you lot tomorrow.’ It’s curt, obviously an excuse to get away from them- but for the life of him, Harry couldn’t make himself speak and break the tension.

It wasn’t really his place, anyway- but to be both an observer and an excuse was an awkward place to be. Harry settled for trying to wander off, but Eggsy was quicker than his thoughts, apparently, as he had already begun walking toward the train and Harry was left trailing after him. He was unable to stop himself from glancing back toward Merlin and Roxanne, who were looking to one another with guilt written across their faces.

They hadn’t just stumbled blindly into this breaking point- they’d pressed the button themselves and purposefully- but to what end?

Eggsy couldn’t bring himself to speak- not even to apologise to Harry, who he had just put into a very awkward position. But he knew that if he opened his mouth, all the wrong bits would fall out first. Instead he just gestured here and there until they made it to the house- and tried not to stare at Harry having a Moment. He stood on the step for several moments, a small smile tugging at the ends of his lips, before following Eggsy inside.

And freezing again.

Harry felt like he was walking into a dream. An alternate universe where Kentucky had never happened. Where Eggsy was Lancelot and he was Galahad and everything still made sense.

Nothing had changed. Well, nothing of import. The loo door was ajar, revealing Mr Pickle and the butterflies that Harry suddenly realised he had seen just as immaculate when he’d hacked into his own house. He hadn’t even thought about the rest of the house, assuming that Eggsy had made himself at home and kept the bathroom the same as an unfortunate reminder of their last conversation. Well, he knew what people said about assuming- it made an arse of you and me. For all that Eggsy had said at HQ, he hadn’t really understood.

He was startled from his reverie by a glass appearing in front of his face. Eggsy shrugged one shoulder, half of his mouth pulled into a sympathetic smile, and waited until the glass was grasped firmly before wandering back into the kitchen. Moments later he heard humming, something he didn’t recognise, and finally relaxed- Eggsy would be fine. He just needed some time, and space.

Harry could give him those things, and thus trudged up the stairs toward the guest room, intending to settle and start trying to process everything himself. One issue with that: the guest room was lived in. Incredibly lived in. The sheets were rumpled, odds and ends sitting on the nightstand, a set of trainers tucked beneath the end of the bed, a jacket hung off the back of a chair; a set of Kingsman glasses sat on the desk. The closet doors were open and an array of street clothes were plainly visible, and a smaller collection of Kingsman suits tucked to one end.

Eggsy was living here. Why hadn’t he laid claim to the rest of the house? He’d had to have seen Kentucky’s gruesome end, and thus known Harry was… gone. He’d obviously been talking with the holograms; though how much or how often was still unclear. Eggsy had no reason to- Harry blinked. A cenotaph. Eggsy had made the house a bloody cenotaph and tucked himself as far into it as he could manage, made himself a footnote in a place he should have been a chapter. Though, perhaps he hadn’t known that. Maybe he didn’t understand how entirely he’d managed to brighten Harry’s monochromatic life. Well, there was time now to change that. More than he’d ever expected to have in his line of work.

But first he had to solve the mystery of Eggsy’s Knighting. Something told him that asking Eggsy directly would yield no results- especially as he was acting at present- so he’d have to pull a Merlin and obtain some records. He had a lot to catch up on, he knew, but what better place to start than where he’d left off last?

#dagonet writes #kingsman fanfiction #fanfiction #kingsman

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icyhobi · 8 years ago

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Angel in the Darkness pt.5

Summary: After a patient urgently pleads you to go and help a friend of his, you naively agree to it. Little did you know, that you would get more than what you agreed to, when he leads you to a brothel, to help a dangerous prostitute named Jeon Jungkook.

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader (ft. Jin, but not romantically)

Genre: Smut (M), angst, mafia!au, prostitution!au

A/N:This is a dark and filthy story! Graphic descriptions of sex (masturbating, etc), heavy dom/sub undertones, drug use, vulgar language use……(alot of smut comes in later) This is a mature read! You have been warned!

~~~~~

The bright sunlight behind the curtains, stirs you awake from your deep sleep. There’s a faint smile stretched upon your lips, as you feel as if you’ve had one of the best naps in the longest of times. Your eyes are still closed shut as you try to flex your stiff muscles; only you can’t.

As soon as you tried to lift your arms, you hit something very hard and muscular. Huh? That’s weird. You can also feel that your legs are entangled, and something wrapped around your waist.

You didn’t mind the feeling, as you were still too tired to process things, and because it brought great warmth, but then you heard it; a faint grunt. Your eyes instantly shoot open, and you blush hard when you realize you’re wrapped up into Jungkook.

His face is mere centimeters away from yours, and his eyes are still closed shut, indicating he’s still asleep. You can feel his hot breath, gently tickling your red face, as his hair is all over. You peer downwards and see that his left arm is securely wrapped around your waist, as both of you were laying down on your sides. His long, thick legs were clumsily tangled with yours, and you were finding it hard to breathe since you were so close to him.

OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!?!

You close your eyes, trying to remember the events that took place the night before. You remember that after you told him about your parents, you were crying a storm. When’s the last time I cried like that? Probably five years ago, when I woke in the hospital…

Shaking the thoughts away, you remember he looked so unreadable, when he stared at you. It was different from the ways he would look at you before. Then he gently kissed you. Your cheeks burned impossibly more at the memory, and you didn’t even have enough time to react before he stopped, and just held you, rocking you back and forth soothingly.

I must have fallen asleep crying in his arms.

But how? How did this man get you to break down and open up so suddenly? You were always able to mask your feelings and emotions, but with him, somehow you cracked. He was practically still a stranger, but it feels as if it was meant for you to meet him… like fate?

Remembering that you’re still stuck in his embrace, you open your eyes, and try to gently pull his arm off of your waist. You slowly pull on his arm a bit, but then it suddenly tightens its hold. You squeak when it reaches down to around your back, to drag you in closer to him. Your face was literally snuggled in the crook of his neck, and both of your chests were touching.

OH MY GOD!!

You were completely flustered at this point, because you’ve never had this much physical contact with someone; especially with a person as devilishly as handsome like Jungkook.

Why is it so hot in here? My lord, he’s like a heater… a really attractive heater, and caring, and smells really go- what am I saying? I need to focus!

While you were having an internal battle in your head, you couldn’t see the subtle smile on Jungkook’s lips.

“Would you stop fucking struggling?” he says in a raspy voice.

You freeze. He was awake? You feel as if your entire body was on fire, so you just stay frozen, having no idea what to do or say.

“U-uhh, did I wake you?” you stutter quietly.

“Yea, as soon as you tried to lift my arm up, I woke up.”

Oh… then why did he stay in this position?

“Ohh, well, I think we should get up now,” you say nervously.

Jungkook doesn’t release his hold on you, instead he slowly starts to rub your back in soothing circular motions. “You wanted comfort no?” he asks with a playful voice.

You’re thankful that he can’t see your face, as your sure you’re red as a tomato. “Well, y-yes, but with time-”

“With time, you’ll eventually have sex with me?”

WHAT?!?!

“U-umm… baby steps! I just want to get to know you first, maybe start out as friends?”

“Friends huh? You know, technically you are my client, right?”

“I’m only your client if a pay you to have intercourse with me, which I did not!”

“Paying me to provide physical comfort to you in that brothel still counts as my client Y/n.”

No!! You didn’t want to be some random client of his, you wanted to know him genuinely. Also, because you couldn’t necessarily get him to trust you if you were just some horny customer of his. “Jungkook… what I said last night, I meant it. I wanna get to know you.”

He doesn’t reply, so you try again, “And besides, if I was just your client, I seriously doubt you would have gone drinking with me, or even brought me to your home,” you say quietly.

She’s right. Instead of answering, he rolls over so his arms and knees trap you beneath him, while he hovers over you. He smirks when he see’s the nervous look on your blushing face. “Hmm, you’re right about that. But maybe I only did that because I wanted to take advantage of you?” he says smoothly.

What?! What is he doing?!? You then realize, he’s most likely just testing you; waiting to see your reaction. You trusted Jin enough that he wouldn’t send you to help this man, if it involved you getting hurt. And besides, why would he have helped you back in that club, if he just wanted to harm you anyway? Why would he have held you when you cried, instead of forcing you down? Why would he care?

“I know that’s not true. You took care of me, when I needed help yesterday. You wouldn’t have done that… if you just wanted to use me.” you state firmly.

Hmm, smart girl. He then uses his right hand to grip the bottom helm of your shirt, wanting to see your reaction. “Maybe that’s true, but…” he slowly starts to put his hand under, resting on the smooth expanse of your lower stomach. “What about now? A girl like you, so innocently staring up into my eyes. So helpless, so cute. A demon like me could take away your innocence.”

You stay quiet, so he edges you on further. “If it wasn’t already obvious, there’s a lot to me you don’t know Y/n. There are many secrets to me, that holds great baggage, and I wouldn’t want to taint you.”

“But I’m not as angelic as you think I am… at least, I wasn’t always,” you reply, voice barely above a whisper.

At that, he raises his eyebrows slightly; deeply intrigued by you. There was just something that kept drawing him closer to you, not wanting to let you go. That’s why he never took his vision off you when you were in the club. Even when he went up into the secluded rooms upstairs with Hyuna, he made sure to keep an eye on you through the glass window. But he knew, no matter what you said about “Not being angelic”, there was already a special place in hell for him. He could already tell, he didn’t deserve someone like you; to care for him. He didn’t deserve anyone. He was so young, so innocent, but doomed to live in a cruel world, and become evil, because of that man. So that’s why he ran away from everything…

He removes his hand from under your shirt, and shakes his head with a small smile. He gets off of you, then stands up, looking over your still frozen state on the bed.

“Lighten up, would ya?” he laughs. “I just like teasing you, your reactions are amusing.” He then slowly walks towards the door. “I’ll make us breakfast, and after I can drive you home.”

Drive me home? You hastily sit upright on the bed, then get up following him. “No that’s alright! I can take the bus home.”

He doesn’t turn around as he walks into the kitchen, with you tailing behind. He then goes to boil some water.

“There isn’t any bus stop near my apartment.”

“You don’t understand. I really appreciate the offer, but I live quite far from here. It would be around a 40-minute drive!” you exclaim out loud.

He takes out a frying pan from the cupboard, then turns on the stove. “I don’t mind the drive. And especially after what happened yesterday, I’m not taking ‘no’ as an answer. If I hadn’t left you in the first place, that would have never have happened to you.”

You’re about to retort but he interrupts you, “Y/n, I’m taking you, and that’s final. Now sit your ass down at the table, and wait for your goddam pancakes like a good little girl.”

You’re taken aback by his strictness, but find yourself trying to hold back giggles, as he puts on a frilly pastel pink apron.

“Pancakes?” you ask, slightly surprised.

“Yes, pancakes.” When he doesn’t hear you comply, he turns around with an unsure expression on his face. “You don’t like pancakes? I can make you eggs instead, or maybe I have some left over cereal.”

You look at him, and bite back a smile, as he was just so… different. He usually was so cocky, but even though he was rather aggressive about making you food, he was somehow cute at the same time.

You get up and walk towards him, with a reassuring smile. “No pancakes are fine! Just let me help you, I feel bad just sitting there.”

He raises his eyebrows at you, “What? You don’t think I can cook?”

“No! I j-just like helping others,” you quickly replied.

“Okay, but if they taste bad, I’m blaming you,” he jokes as he goes to get the ingredients from his refrigerator. He notices you smiling widely at him, as he’s digging into the fridge. “What?”

“I like your apron,” you say cheekily.

He puts the food onto the counter, and turns towards you while untying the horrendous pink cloth.

“Oh really? Since you like it so much, I think you should wear it.”

Before you could retort, he dumps it over your head, then spins you around to tie it.

You feel goosebumps rise through your clothing, as he lightly touches your back to secure the knot.

“But won’t your clothes get dirty?” you protest.

“Probably. But I could just change afterwards,” he replies while finishing the knot. He goes back towards the counter preparing the mix. “I mean, if you don’t want the apron, you could just change into some of my clothes.” He states while smirking. “I most definitely wouldn’t mind if you wanted that. But I mean, people would assume that you were my girl then.”

“W-what?”

“If we’re walking together, and you wear clothes that’s obviously mine; they’d assume we’re together.” he says nonchalantly. “Not that I’d mind.”

Why is he like this?! You make sure your long hair hides your face, because you didn’t want him to notice you blushing like crazy.

“I think I’ll just wear the apron.”

~~~~~

“You don’t need to get offended, I was just being honest,” Jungkook says, trying not to smile too widely.

“I’m not offended! You’re just clearly lying!” you yell back at him irritatingly, while sitting in the passenger’s seat of his car.

“I’m not lying though.”

“Yes you are!”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are!”

“Y/n…”

“Yes, Jungkook?”

There was a small pause before you hear him trying to stifle his laughter while saying;

“You don’t have to be mad because your pancakes tasted like shit.”

“Urrghhhh!” you cry out.

You’ve been sitting in his car for the past 20 minutes, as he promised to drive you home. But the entire time, you two have been arguing because he said your pancakes tasted bad. You knew he was just teasing you, but somehow, he was always able to get under your skin to get a reaction out of you.

Jungkook releases his right hand from the wheel, to gently put it on your clothed thigh. He gives it a small squeeze. “Don’t worry baby, I’ll teach you next time.”

You feel your heartbeat quicken with his hand on your thigh, and you bite back a smile as he mentioned a ‘next time’.

“If it was really that bad, how come you ate seven of them, while I only got to eat three! And you still managed to finish before I did!” you joke.

“That’s because I’m a hungry guy, I need the food. And plus, you ate most of the omelette I made anyway.”

You didn’t want to admit it, but Jungkook managed to make the most heavenly omelette ever known to human existence. You didn’t know how eggs could taste so amazing, but some how he did it. Your mouth started to salivate just to the memory of it.

“Okay fine, it wasn’t that bad. Just mediocre.”

You want to glare at him, but found yourself smiling, because he himself was grinning. He looks so handsome when he’s like this. He was always insanely attractive, but on the rare occasion he lets out a genuine smile; he looked ethereal.

“Where’d you even learn to cook?” you pout.

You notice his smile falters a bit, but he easily plays it off. “From my brother.”

“You have a brother?” you ask curiously.

“Yea, I actually have six brothers. They’re my step-brothers though.”

Six step-brothers? Wow, that’s a lot.

“Do you see them often?” you ask hesitantly.

“Not really,” he sighs. “Five of them are scattered around the globe, taking care of ‘business’. I’ve only met them a couple of times when I was younger. The oldest one, is the one who taught me a lot of things, including cooking. He also practically raised me, but I don’t see him anymore.”

“Oh, did he move?”

“I actually left home at a young age,” he says bitterly.

You notice this, so you decide to play it safe, and not pester him on the topic any longer.

You both sit in a comfortable silence, listening to the music through the radio. You realize he’s close to pulling up to your apartment complex, so you decide to ask him what’s been bothering you the whole time.

“Did you mean it?”

Jungkook glances at you, and see’s you have an uncomfortable expression on your face. “Did I mean what?” he asks confused.

You chew on your bottom lip, as you blurt out, “That I should never show my face to you again. Back at the club…”

Ohh… When he said that, he really meant it for himself. That’s because he was scared that you would be working for ‘him’, and he couldn’t bring himself to harm you. But now, he was positive you weren’t apart of that fiasco, so he felt a bit bad for being so harsh to you.

“No, I didn’t.” he says as he squeezes your thigh reassuringly. “I would like to see you again.”

You sigh in relief, but are quick to question him again. “You said you kept an eye out for me in the club… I thought you left me alone. I’m glad you didn’t though.”

He pulls up beside your apartment, and you’re a bit disappointed you couldn’t spend the day longer with him. But you knew he had to go to work soon, so you tried not to dwell on it too long.

You unbuckle your seatbelt, and turn to look at him with a bright smile on your face. “Thank you for breakfast, and for driving me home.”

He looks at you, with a charming smile. “No problem sweetheart.”

But then you notice it; there’s a certain familiarity to this smile, you just couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Shaking the thought away, you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “U-um so, when can I visit you again?” you ask nervously.

Jungkook smirks at your cute actions, then pulls out his phone handing it to you. “Let’s exchange numbers.”

You quickly type in your contact information into his phone, then hand it back to him, along with yours. He types in his info, then gives it back to you. You want to laugh as you realize he put a bunny emoji beside his name. You look up to him to question it, but he just winks at you.

“Don’t be afraid to message me anytime, I don’t bite. Well, at least not at first.”

Your cheeks redden at his remark. Why does he have to have this kind of affect on me?!?

“O-okay, so I’ll talk to you later?” you say while unlocking the car door.

“Mmhmm,” he hums in reply.

Before you could get out of the car, he reaches behind you, to drag you a bit forward towards him. Your eyes widen in surprise, as your face gets closer to his. There’s a mischievous smile playing on his lips, and you don’t even get the time to question him when his lips meet yours.

The small peck only lasted for two seconds, before he releases you. You stare at him blushing, with a dumbfounded look on your face.

He winks at you, and holds a sexy smirk. “And I hope I don’t have to wait too long before I can see your pretty face again.”

You were too flustered to form a coherent reply, so you just nod your head, then clumsily get out of the car.

Jungkook bites his lip, as he doesn’t want to laugh aloud at your embarrassed state. He waits till you look at him again, then says, “I’ll see you soon Y/n.”

You nod your head, then he winks one more time, before he drives off.

I can’t believe he just kissed me again! you scream internally. That man… he was something else. No other human being could have this much of an effect on you, but him. You touch your lips, and smile at the memory of being with him. I really want to get to know him, all of him.

But then you remember, how Jin warned you about how difficult he could be, and that he was in danger. There was still so many questions you wanted to ask both of them. You knew there was many things they weren’t telling you, but what were they?

Who were they really?

~~~~~

Jin continued to mindlessly walk down the barely lit corridor. He honestly would much rather be anywhere else than here. He could only give so many lies, before they found out.

He finally reaches the office, then swings the door open, without giving a care if it broke. There was no window in this eerie room, as he stared at the aging man sitting at the big oak desk. The man was dressed in an expensive suit, as his black hair was slightly greying.

He had a familiar annoyed look on his face, while he acknowledged Jin’s rude entrance.

“You called for me?” Jin asked, trying to make sure his voice doesn’t waver.

“Yes, I did.” The cold looking man replies. “It’s come to my attention that Jungkook is nearby.”

Jin tries his best to not freeze up, as he holds his poker face. “Oh really? Where?”

“They’re not sure where his exact location is, but apparently there have been evidence linked to him being in this city.”

Shit, I didn’t expect them to find him so fast.

“And I believe you’re still locating the girl, no?”

I’ve already found her. “Yes sir, she’s close, I know it.”

“Good. From now on, you’ll search for both of them. Once you have both, bring them here.”

“For you to kill them?” Jin asks, trying his best to look unbothered.

“Well of course. You know as well as I do, that girl should have died in the car explosion. I still don’t even know how she’s alive, but that’s a mistake we’ll fix.” the scary man states. He then continues “And Jungkook has chosen to go rogue long ago. There’s no point in trying to convince him to join us again, so he must be terminated.”

Jin can’t help but grit his teeth at the man. “Kill him because he ran away, or kill him because you’re scared?” He has a sadistic smile playing on his lips, as he continues “Scared that if he finds you, he’ll kill you himself.”

The old man glares at him. “Now now, don’t tell me you still care for that boy? He’s not your little brother anymore Jin, he betrayed all of us when he left.”

“He was just a chil-”

“But now he’s a man. A man who won’t hesitate to kill you,” the greying man interrupts. “You know Jin, out of all my sons, I trust you the most. So, I know you won’t let me down on this task.”

Jin’s fists are clenched tightly as he tries to restrain his emotions. He had to get him to trust him still. “Yes sir.”

“Yes, what?” the old man mocks.

I hate you so much, he wants to scream in reply, but he chooses to say the dreaded words, which was his cruel reality.

“Yes, father.”

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